Season 5: D Factor
by Stormplains
Summary: Continues story straight after season 4. New characters Leo, Benj and Ty are in for it when they meet the X-Men. Xavier decides after meeting them to begin recruitment again, but this next school year brings with it more than the X-Men are prepared for. As the plot thickens, everyone at the Institute wonders, who can they trust? All the old faces, and new favorites will be included
1. Chapter 1: New Guys

**Disclaimer: The X-Men aren't mine. They're Marvel's. The characters of Leo Dyson, Benjamin Dents, Tyler Dyson, Seth Severus, and other characters that didn't appear in the show, ever, are either from my own or from my reviewers' imagination.**

**Author's note: **Hi there!

Just a small preview so you know what you're getting into, reading this. The story picks up right after Apocalypse's downfall, so it's summer (or at least it should have been), the X-Men are just trying to put that behind them. The two new characters Leo, and Benj, are brothers (background is slowly, painfully slowly revealed), and are both mutants, let's just say they've done some things. If you enjoy this story, there'll be more. If you're worried about language, there will be some light cussing. Your reviews would be greatly appreciated (and of course if you have any X-Men Evolution stories of your own, be sure to mention that so I can read them).

_**Enjoy. Read. Review.**_

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><p>It was a hazy afternoon. Sunlight flittered through the leaves of a tree that shaded a teenager leaning against a huge rock. His spikey red (meaning red, not ginger) hair had blonde dyed tips and had a red goatee on his flat chin. His ears were a little small for his head, the left one was pierced with a silver hoop, and his nose was wide (similar looking to Sabretooth's). Around his neck he was wearing a shark tooth necklace, and a zoo uniform covered the rest of him. Leaning his back against the rock the teen bent one leg up and laid a sketchpad on it. In front of him a lion cub crouched by a flower, transfixed by the white butterfly daintily perching on top. The teen laughed quietly to himself as he began sketching rapidly.<p>

Since he worked at the zoo he could do this sort of thing while saying he was doing his job. He only worked in the lion enclosure, and had no one else to assist him. The manager gave him this special assignment due to his, unique, disposition. AKA: the lions wouldn't eat him; he was able to communicate with them.

The cub flicked his tail. The teenager frowned and erased his previous sketch of the tail.

_Clink_.

A rock bounced off the huge stone the teen was resting against.

"What the-ow!" he said in a gruff, but quiet voice. A second rock fell from the sky and hit his head. He looked around, and then a third rock came and squashed the lion cub's flower. The cub looked at the teen.

"Aww, why'd the flying rock kill my prey, Leo?" The cub's expression seemed to ask.

The teen, Leo, ruffled the cub's fur. "So sorry little guy, I'm gonna figure it out." With that, Leo turned and peered through the bushes surrounding the huge rock. He could see two guys, his age, and evidently jocks, throwing rocks at the enclosure. Both were wearing letterman jackets. One of the other lions was out in front, and was suddenly struck by a rock in his eye.

"YAOAOW!" the lion roared, leaping back and running into the bushes.

Leo growled softly and glared at the teens. The teens were laughing loudly and pointing out a lioness, their next target. Bending his arm back the jock with black hair and dark skin took aim.

Visibly angry, Leo began changing form. He shifted into a lion humanoid, his hair grew into a fiery mane, his jaw widened while his canines sharpened and grew longer. He finished his shift and was covered in golden fur, he removed his tail from his belt loops and flicked it.

He growled softly and started approaching the jocks, as a predator would.

The lioness was proving a difficult adversary for the jocks; they had already thrown their first shots and continued throwing rocks with less accuracy.

Leo roared and leapt out from behind the bushes. The jocks stumbled back shocked. Leo continued forward with cat-like speed and jumped the trench surrounding the enclosure and perched on the railing.

"ROOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAWRRR!" Leo blasted in their faces.

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><p>He extended his claws from the ends of his padded fingers.<p>

The jocks screamed and turned to run, but Leo intercepted them in a bound. Growling in their faces he towered over them at a height of six foot seven.

The jocks turned and fled again, reaching out Leo swiped at the two jocks, ripping the backs of their jackets. By now a small crowd had gathered, including an animal handler with a tranquilizer gun. The handler took aim and fired; but missed as Leo wrenched it from his hands, snapping it in two. The handler's jaw dropped. Not knowing what to do, he just stood there.

Leo's primal instincts began fading and he realized what trouble he was in.

"Damn." He whispered, fleeing himself.

Using his knowledge of the zoo, Leo quickly escaped the curious onlookers. He circled around the lion enclosure, sneaking in through the back.

He shifted back to his human form, letting loose a stream of curses for his stupidity. The situation could have been handled a thousand different ways, and he chose to present himself as a threat. So much for starting over.

Leo apologized mentally to his brother, he'd caused another incident.

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><p>A blonde teen with turquoise eyes and a dark forest green skateboarded down the sidewalk. Images of Leo's predicament flashed in the teen's mind. He stopped. "Dang it, Leo! What have you done now?" he whispered.<p>

"Hey man, are you okay?" another skater came up behind him. Typical skater, elbow pads, wild colored helmet, pierced ears, plain tee and jeans. The blonde teen looked at him and rubbed his head.

"Uh, yeah, yeah." A few more skaters came up and stopped alongside the blonde. "Just, I'm not feeling all that well, I think I'm gonna head home."

"Come on Dents, don't be a wimp, our deal remember." A skater with short, light brown hair teased with a slight dark undertone.

"Listen, I'm serious. I'll do the dare tomorrow." The blonde responded brushing off his black T-shirt.

"No way Dents," the skater said angrily grabbing the blonde teen as he turned to leave. "You said you would get me an X-Men souvenir, and you will. We have a bet. You aren't cheating me out of a hundred bucks." He said gritting his teeth. The skater nodded at two of the others behind him. "Socks, Matt, hold on to our buddy Dents-"

"Back off, I don't wanna do this." The blonde said menacingly as two larger boys grabbed his arms. "I ain't a thief."

"I don't care right now, Benj Dents, I'm going to get that money and the bragging rights" he waved at the skater gang. "Let's go."

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><p><em>At the Xavier's Institute<em>

The younger students were enjoying the afternoon heat by relaxing by the institute's pool. Bobby, of course, was causing chaos by creating ice sculptures all over the lawn, and poolside, then watching them melt. Professor Xavier himself was sitting by the pool as well. After the stressful Apocalypse ordeal everyone was starving for relaxation.

"Well Charles," Logan walked up behind the professor and placed a hand on his chair. "I guess everything's back to normal now isn't it?"

"Yes," Xavier said thoughtfully, "the students are adjusting very well aren't they. And I have to say our new additions are fitting in nicely as well." They both looked over to the left where Colossus (who now was also known by Piotr) was soaking his feet by the edge of the pool. Bobby snuck behind him and gave a huge shove, trying to knock him in. Failing miserably he lost his footing and fell into the pool headfirst. Colossus began laughing extremely loud. The students scattered around the pool joined in as Bobby's embarrassed head emerged from the water.

Logan and the professor chuckled. "Yeah, well I guess after what we all went through they deserve some rest."

The professor looked up at Logan, "You are just itching to get back to training them, aren't you?"

"Oh yeah."

A flash of light and a puff of smoke appeared beside them, followed by a fuzzy blue elf. "Professor!"

"Yes, Kurt?" Xavier responded completely unfazed.

"You've got to see this! On the news they have a story on a mutant attack. It's starting now! Come on!" Kurt exclaimed.

"Alright, Kurt. Port us in."

"I want to see this too, elf." Logan said. Kurt grabbed both their shoulders and ported.

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><p>Inside the mansion Scott, Jean, Kitty, and Rogue were hanging around the TV. Kurt popped in and jumped on the back of the couch, Logan perched on the arm.<p>

"It's just about to start." Rogue said looking at the professor.

A blonde news anchor appeared on the screen. "...And now for our main story. Two teenagers were attacked today by a mutant at the Bayville Zoo this afternoon. The two teens have been identified as Fred Douglas, and Keith Lerry. Both go to Bayville High. Only one of the two was injured enough to see a doctor. The teen's injuries were serious enough to send him to the hospital. We go live now to our anchor at Bayville's hospital with more on the attack."

"Thank you Mary," a black haired male anchor said. "Fred Douglas was actually injured while attempting to flee the scene, falling and breaking his ankle. He also had a minor cut on his back, this was a result of the mutant's claws. There are no reports on the unidentified mutant, but the zoo has said they will not press charges and are encouraging the teen's parents to do the same. Their official statement reads: 'This incident was embarrassing enough. The mutant seems to have been protecting the lions; the two teens attacked had been chucking rocks at the animals. If the teen's parents seek to prosecute this mutant, we will press charges against Mr. Douglas as well as Mr. Lerry.'" The reporter paused, and then nodded, "Mayor Candidate Kelly has a message to share with the public."

The screen changed and former Principal Kelly was sitting in his new office.

"Oh, please. Someone turn it off now." Rogue groaned. Scott picked up the remote and turned off the TV.

The team shifted uncomfortably. If Kelly was making comments, it couldn't be good, but no one wished to hear them.

Xavier folded his hands, "This mutant seems to be a in some trouble. We need to find and talk to him." He thought for a moment. "Rogue, Scott, why don't you two come with me to Cerebro. Logan, you as well. I think you three would be the best to meet with him."

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><p>The skater crew reached the one of the side gates of the Xavier Institute. The two buffs, Socks and Matt, tossed the blonde skater, Dents, to the ground. He said nothing but glared at the skater he had a bet with.<p>

"Alright I'm here, what now Lucius?" He growled as he stood up and brushed himself off.

Lucius laughed. "I'll give you a few minutes to figure out how you're gonna jump that gate." He grabbed Dents' upper arm. "When you're over you find me some sort of souvenir from those muties." He whispered menacingly.

Dents shook him off and went over to another skater with short black hair. "Vince, can I talk to you for a sec?"

"Of course." Vince said, his green eyes looking confused. The two walked out of earshot of the rest of the crew.

Vince was a typical skater as well, his left ear had a silver hoop in it, and could skate circles around Lucius.

"What's up Benj?" Vince asked. Dents' full name was Benjamin Dents but his friends called him Benj. Benj said nothing but stared ahead. He turned to Vince.

'_You know exactly what.' _Benj communicated to him telepathically.

Vince sighed. "Look, I don't know whether he knows for sure you're a mutant, but I know he's suspicious. I said nothing to him Benj. I swear it." Benj glared at him. "Don't do this Benj. You don't have to break into the Xavier Institute. **Just back down**!"

"I can't do that, Vince." Benj growled. "I back down and Lucius wins. I can't, won't back out of this."

Vince cursed. "Don't do this man. Lucius has more riding on you getting caught and stuffed, than on you comin' back."

"Too late." Benj looked around him. "Go home Vince."

"What?"

"Go home." Benj paused. "If this gets out of control I don't want you here. You don't need to be caught trespassing."

"Neither do you!"

Benj stopped. "I… I have to do this. No longer will I back down to Lucius' ridiculous threats"

The look on his face stopped any argument Vince was still ready to give.

"Be careful." Vince said.

Benj gripped Vince's forearm, and Vince did the same to him. It was a little more personal than a handshake, but not as intimate as a hug. "Thanks, Vince. I'll let you know what happens." Benj said as he walked away.

He rejoined the skater crew.

"Ready to roll Dents?" Lucius asked. Benj nodded as he pulled a pair of gloves out of his backpack.

The gloves had rough pads that would allow him to grip the metal bars on the gate easily. They were black with yellow stripes around the knuckles. Rubbing his hands together Benj jumped up and grabbed the gate. With nimble skill he scaled the gate in a matter of seconds. He jumped from the top of the gate and landed gently without a sound.

Lucius came up to the gate and talked to Benj, "Just remember to grab me a souvenir and that hundred bucks is yours, if not…" He grinned.

"Yeah, got it." Benj said turning toward the Institute. Carefully walking forward he examined the building. He could hear some far off laughter to his right, so he inched to the left. He figured the best way to get something from the building was by getting into one of the students' room. Picking the first balcony he found he used his mutant power to help give him a lift to the second floor balcony.

Landing silently on the balcony he focused his attention on the door. Although he assumed it would be locked he attempted to open it first, without any resistance it opened.

_No turning back now_. He thought to himself.

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><p>Professor Xavier turned his wheelchair to exit the room when a light on the arm of the wheelchair flashed. In response so did the watch-like communicators on the oldest X-Men's wrists.<p>

The professor pursed his lips as he said, "I believe we have an unwelcome visitor."

"There was a break in?" Scott asked.

"Not was, **is** Scott," He answered. "Scott, why don't you and Jean search outside. Rogue, you can be in charge of the search inside with Kitty and Kurt. I'll monitor the search from Cerebro with Logan. Remember, be careful. We have no idea what this intruder is capable of."

"A mutant, or a human?" Rogue asked.

Xavier closed his eyes, trying to sense the intruder. "Mutant."

"Wait, we're not talking the Brotherhood are we?" Scott asked.

"I don't know Scott, if it is then they found a new recruit." The professor answered. "Let's go team."

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><p>Benj entered the dorm room.<p>

_Now which X-Men's room is this?_ He thought.

He looked about the room. On the right was a bed and a closet on the far wall. On the left he saw a dresser. Walking up to it he saw there was a collage of pictures. Most had a short brown-haired girl with white streaks in front, who was quite pale. There was a black glove sticking out of one of the drawers. Benj opened the drawer. Inside was a pile of old worn out gloves.

Benj grabbed one and stuck it in his pocket. Then he looked back at the collage. One of the photos had the girl sitting under a tree reading a book and soft warm light filtering down through the leaves. He smiled, and took the photo.

Suddenly he heard the inner doorknob jiggling, as though someone was putting a key in. Panicking Benj dove into the closet.

The door opened and Rogue entered. Benj held his breath.

Rogue started to search her room. She looked at the dresser. Everything minus the one photo was there, but she didn't notice. Looking to her left she noticed the balcony door was still open. Benj started regretting not closing it. Rogue closed and locked the balcony door.

"Alright, Ah know ya're in here." She said, turning around in circles defensively. She took off one of her gloves.

Benj sat back and concentrated hard on coming up with a physic blast. He'd only managed to create a physic blast once before, and compared to the alternative of flinging her out the window, it was the one that would do the least amount of harm. He didn't want to hurt this girl, but couldn't afford getting caught.

"Sorry," he whispered as he jumped out of the closet and sent a physic blast at Rogue. Rogue turned to see her attacker, then shrieked as she feinted.

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><p>Charles gasped, and removed the Cerebro helmet.<p>

"What is it Charles?" Logan asked.

"I lost mental contact with Rogue."

"Arrooo. What!" Logan roared.

"She said she found the intruder, then I lost her." Charles sighed.

Logan turned around. "Where are you going Logan?" Professor X asked.

"I'm going to go see if I can find Rogue and this intruder." He growled as he stormed out.

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><p>Benj knelt down at the side of Rogue. He could see she was out cold. His eyes were drawn from her face to something on her wrist. It was some type of watch. It flashed interestingly, so he unclipped it from her wrist, and stuck it in his pocket. (Since he still wore his gloves he wasn't drained by touching Rogue.)<p>

He stood up and looked at the balcony door. He began to move toward it, when the interior door was knocked down. Benj spun around.

"Arrrrrrrrrrrrrooooooo!" Wolverine leapt into the room with his claws extended. Benj's eyes widened and he backed up to the door. Logan looked from him to Rogue on the floor. He tensed and jumped at Benj. With a swift movement Benj slid under him and bent the air behind Logan to propel him out the balcony door. Glass shattered and Logan soared over the balcony to the outside yard. His way now clear, Benj jumped off the balcony and landed beside Logan.

He assumed Logan was unconscious until he lunged at him. Benj jumped backwards and ran toward the gate.

Suddenly, Benj felt a disturbance in the air behind him. Performing a spectacular aerial jump he flipped over Cyclops's eye blast.

"Put a shield up Jean," Scott said, "we don't want him leaving."

"Got it."

Benj, seeing his way of escape was closed, turned around. He already saw that the skater crew had fled. Like a cornered animal, he was prepared to fight. Kurt and Kitty had come out from the house to join the pursuit, followed by Professor X.

Benj said nothing, but looked back at his way of escape.

The professor came forward with his hands raised. "We just want to talk to you." The X-men had formed a semi-circle around the frightened Benj.

Benj took a fighting stance and blasted an incredibly strong wind gust at his opponents, causing them to fly backwards. Only Logan was able to hold on, due to his metal bones.

He ran past the X-Men, who were picking themselves up, and grabbed his skateboard from his backpack. Benj jumped into the air and stuck his board beneath him. Logan followed in pursuit. Benj followed the path to go past the pool.

The younger students halted their activities as the two approached.

"Don't just stand there! Stop him." Logan growled.

Bobby jumped out of the pool and iced up the sidewalk quickly approaching the skater. Benj saw it too late and skidded across the ice, throwing him from the board. He recovered by summersaulting and then ran.

Ray, AKA Berserker, stood up from his recliner and momentarily glared at Benj, "I've seen you before…" he mumbled.

Ray took aim, (Benj wasn't the fastest runner, being more used to skating) and blasted him with lightning.

Benj twisted in pain, and buckled over. His consciousness slipped away as electricity continued to pour into him.

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><p>Leo walked up to the manager's office. Sighing he knocked.<p>

"Come in Leo,"

Leo entered. A short man with rough gray hair and a mustache sat at the desk, to his right sat the assistant manager that was specifically assigned to the mutants that worked at the zoo. He was a mutant himself, and his head was that of a snake, his entire body was covered in green snake scales.

"Sssssssit down Leo," he hissed in a deep voice.

Leo swallowed. "Yes sir, Mr. Severus."

Mr. Severus flicked his tongue, "I told you to call me Sssseth, Leo. None of thisssss ssssir ssstuff."

The manager held up his hand. Both mutants turned to him. "Leo, Mr. Severus and I have been considering what this incident will mean for you. We understand that you wish to keep this job right?"

"Of course Mr. Walkman, I love working here." Leo's nervousness was obvious.

Mr. Walkman stood up and walked over to sit on the edge of his desk by Leo. "Don't worry Leo, we aren't firing you, not yet. We'll give you another chance."

Leo sank back into his chair. He wouldn't have to worry about explaining to his brother why he was fired, maybe he hadn't seen the news either.

"But we can't jusssst look the other way thisss time Leo." Seth hissed. "You'll be on temporary leave, until thisss sssstory fizzlessss out."

Leo opened his mouth to argue but Seth hissed again. There would be no arguing with him. "…Okay. When can I come back?" he asked.

Mr. Walkman frowned, and stroked his mustache. "Tomorrow if you can, we'll need some help bandaging up the lions. Thanks to those teenage hooligans, three lions have shattered paws, and one's eye is in bad shape. You're the only one we can risk to go into the lion enclosure while they're conscious."

"Of course, sir" Of course, the human employees were never risked. Mr. Walkman was fond of mutants, their abilities promised more. Leo was fine with it, especially since it would be the last thing he did at the zoo for a while. Sensing that this meeting was over, he left.

There would be enough at home waiting for him.


	2. Chapter 2: Starting Fresh

**Disclaimer: The X-Men aren't mine. They're Marvel's. The characters Leo Dyson, Benj Dents, Tyler Dyson, and Seth Serverus, are all of my own imagination. They are mine. **

**Author's note:**Due to the magic of editting, this author's note is no longer needed! Hoorah for going back and improving!

**Enjoy, review. Any comments and/or suggestions are wanted.**

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><p>The sun hadn't relented a bit. As Leo walked out of the zoo management office the sun hit him with renewed harshness. News crews still buzzed around the zoo like bees to honey. The air was sweet, and promised a good evening.<p>

He took a deep breath, in his opinion; the day was as sour as vinegar.

The parking lot was a short walk away; Leo walked up to a rusting yellow pick-up and clicked his keys. Yanking the heavy door open, Leo glided in and spurred the ignition.

_Hopefully it'll start this time_. Leo hoped. Enough things had fallen though today.

"Gosh, I'm just a steaming pot of unhappiness aren't I?" He muttered to himself as the engine sputtered to life.

Leo left the parking lot and drove to his apartment complex, the Greenwoods Apartments. The outside of the apartments were a dark gray wood, worn from the elements and years of improper care.

He walked up to the apartment 2E. For the countless time he hesitated, no way that his brother would be happy to hear what happened. Ty was a nice guy, but money was always tight, too many accidents inside the home.

The door was pushed aside and Leo entered in.

It was a rather humble apartment. On the right was a small room with a couch, worn-out recliner and TV. In the right corner of the room was a door leading to the bathroom. Straight ahead was a tiny kitchen, on its left, two doors. The closed one lead to the bedroom he and Benj shared.

Pale computer light spilled out of the open doorway on the left. His brother, Tyler, was typing on his computer. Leo entered into the room.

Against one wall was a bed, the far wall was covered in computer "toys". Numerous colored wired connected a laptop, desktop computer, and modem. Tyler was a gaming programmer, and took it very seriously. Leo's eyes fell to the pile of half melted keyboards in a box shoved up against the wall. Too many accidents.

Leo took a deep breath; the explosion would come sooner or later

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><p><em>At the Xavier Institute<em>

The professor and Kurt went to check on Rogue. When they got to her room, she was still out cold on the floor.

"Rogue!" Kurt yelled as he ran over to her.

She groaned slightly and turned to face him. Her pale face was marked with confusion as she glanced around the room. Her eyes fell on the professor.

"How long was Ah out?"

Xavier chuckled softly, "Not that long"

"And the mutant intrudah?" she questioned as Kurt helped her up.

The professor frowned, "Ray took a shot at him and knocked him out. He's in the infirmary now."

Kurt grinned, "In was quite a chase, you should have seen it! Logan was about ready to explode!"

"Can Ah see him?" Rogue asked.

"Logan? Well of course, I think he's-"

"No, not Logan," Rogue interrupted, "the intrudah. Ah'd like to ask him something."

Xavier looked puzzled, "And what would that be?"

"Why he apologized before he took me out."

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><p>"Gaah!" Benj gasped and sat straight up. The movement made it feel like he ripped his side open, and he groaned as he laid back down. His memory was fuzzy, like the electric sparks were still dancing. He opened his eyes to see where he was. It was like a hospital room, but smaller, and less sterile smelling. He looked to his right. A blue fuzzy elf was staring at him, and sitting next to him was the girl with white streaks in her hair. Benj gulped, and sat up.<p>

"Welcome back to the world of the living, buddy." The elf said. Benj looked him up and down. Had he been someone else, he would be completely freaked out, but this elf's mutated skin was not that bad compared to Tyler's. "I'm Kurt, and this is my sister, Rogue." The elf stuck out his fuzzy hand. Before he could shake it, Kurt looked down at his hand, "Sorry about the fur, it's kinda attached."

Benj grasped his hand and said, "No worries, Kurt. My brother has a much worse appearance. Besides, who doesn't like a fuzzy dude?"

Kurt looked at Rogue, "I like this guy!"

Rogue smiled, a rare occurrence.

Benj stuck his hand out to Rogue. "I'm Benjamin Dents. But my friends call me Benj." His face darkened, "my enemies call me Dents, though."

Rogue's leather glove met Benj's rough, sandpaper-like glove, and their eyes met for a second. Benj face flushed, and he turned away. Golly, she was pretty.

Dr. Hank McCoy walked up to the base of Benj's bed. They shook hands. "Hello, I'm Dr. McCoy. I hope I did a good job bandaging you up, oh, and you're shirt is over here." He gestured to the side table. There sat Benj's half-burned green shirt.

Benj's eyes widened, he hadn't noticed he wasn't wearing a shirt. Embarrassed, he looked down at his scrawny build. His own face had elfish features, and they flared bright red.

Hank chuckled, "I'll get the professor, he'll be happy to see you're awake." He left.

Benj sighed and leaned back on his pillow. His head felt like it was cracking in half, and his side still burned under his bandages. Every breath was beginning to hurt, he could feel his lungs tightening. His inhaler, where was it? Trying not to panic, he fished through his pockets. It wasn't there.

Kurt looked worried and confused, "Are you okay Benj?"

"M-my inhaler, I-I can't find it." His chest was tightening and panic was setting in.

Kurt and Rogue started looking around. "There it is!" he plunged under the bed. He came back up with a small silver canister. Rogue took it from his hands and handed it to Benj.

He fiddled with it. Calmly he pressed it to his lips and took three slow puffs. His chest freed up and his breathing returned to normal. "Thanks," he said breathlessly. He could control the air around him, but he couldn't manage to help the air enter his lungs.

There was an awkward silence.

"I have a question for you, Ben." Rogue said turning her green eyes to him.

"Benj, not Ben, not Benjamin. Just Benj. Benjamin is far too sophisticated for me, and Ben isn't enough." He'd been practicing this line since he started school, and people still didn't get it.

Rogue coughed, "Uh, yeah…. Benj, why, why did ya apologize before ya struck?"

Benj paused. He wasn't quite sure what made him do it. "I don't know exactly." He took a deep breath. "It may have been that I just couldn't take you out without apologizing. It was supposed to be a quick in and out, no one was supposed to get hurt. Apparently, that didn't happen" he said, gesturing to his side.

"Which brings us to the subject of why you broke in." the professor had the uncanny ability to "walk" into a conversation just at the right moment. "I'm Charles Xavier, head of the Xavier's Institute for Gifted Youngsters."

"Of course, I'm Benj Dents." He paused. "Uh, sorry about causing such a mess."

"No, it is quite alright, now back to why you are here." He prodded calmly.

Benj sighed, there would be no paddling his way around it. "I'm here because I took a bet. One of my… hmmm, I guess he wasn't my friend, but anyways… I made a bet that I could get in here. Of course Lucius-"

"Wait, you took a bet from someone named Lucius, isn't that a bad sign already? Just his name sounds bad." Kurt interrupted.

"Yeah, one of my oversights, he had been snooping in my family business and threatening me, so I took the bet to make it stop," Benj sighed, he sure was an idiot. "Turns out the guy was betting more on me getting caught by you guys. In hindsight, I should have listened to Vince; he tried to talk me out of it." He brushed the hair from his face, then grimaced and held his aching side.

Charles folded his hands. "Whatever you're intensions, I would like to extend the gift of friendship, you are plenty welcome to stay here."

Benj's face brightened, "Really?" Ever since he and Leo had found out about the X-Men, they had been a source of fascination for them.

"It's pretty nice around here, as long as no one's attackin' ya." Rogue said. Benj's turquoise eyes flashed more remorse at Rogue.

'_I'm really sorry, again.'_ He said to her mentally. Rogue flinched.

"Please, don't do that. Ah can't handle too many additional voices in mah head." She groaned.

Charles had a flash of confusion, but as usual he caught on quick. "You have physic powers as well?"

"Ah, yeah. That's how I took out Rogue, I didn't know her mind-"

"Nah, it's okay." Rogue said, not very convincingly.

"Hmmm." The professor pondered the situation. "Let's call your parents to let them know you are here. Then we can set up an interview for this evening."

Benj's face darkened, his eyes shining with past sadness. "You'll have to call Tyler, my brother slash guardian. All of my parents are dead."

* * *

><p><em>Dyson Residence in the Greenwood Apartments<em>

"_¿Qué hiciste?" _Tyler yelled. Their family spoke Spanish often at home, and Tyler especially chose it when he was angry. He let loose a string of Spanish curses, as well as several in English.

Leo shrank under the barrage. He was used to being cussed out at school, but never at home. "Ty, relax I still have my job! It's not a big deal!"

"Not a big deal? We were starting fresh, I thought!" Tyler pushed himself away from the computer. He was wearing gray sweats. As he turned around his hood fell from his head, revealing his skin. It was bright red. To add to that he had devil horns a top his head, and no hair. His teeth weren't human, they were like a shark's. Rows of teeth filled his mouth, but Tyler had no problem talking around them. His eyes were a crystal blue, an icy tinge to a body so oriented to heat.

Leo knew that if Ty kept yelling, a neighbor would come by and demand to know what was going on. As mutants, it was very hard to find housing that would allow them, they couldn't risk a confrontation.

"Keep your damn voice down." He whispered.

Ty glared at him. "Do you think I'm joking?" he asked in a quieter tone. He stood up, and his own tail flicked. It was red like the rest of him, and the end looked like a spade off of deck of cards. Altogether, Ty looked like someone's nightmare.

"No, of course not. It's just-" Leo grunted. Suddenly his head felt like it was being torn apart. He groaned and clutched his head. The pain sent him reeling, and he fell to his knees. Leo's vision blurred as he stared at the carpet. He reached out to steady himself, and clutched the carpeting in agony.

"Leo!" Ty yelled, rushing to his side.

"M-my shifts have never hurt before- AHHH!" he screamed. Whenever Leo had shifted before, it had been painless. He never even thought about shifting this time, either. His powers were expanding, to what, he didn't know.

Leo crouched on the floor, slowing shifting from his human form to his lion humanoid form. His nails hardened slowly and tore through his fingertips. Every tiny hair was a pinprick of heat as he shifted, burning his flesh. He yelled out again, his yell mixing with a roar.

* * *

><p><em>Xavier Institute<em>

The professor wrote down Benj's home phone number as Benj said it.

"Alright, I will call your brother right-" Professor X stopped. A small light lit up on the side of his wheelchair. An alert from Cerebro. "Kurt, can you port me down to Cerebro? It would seem that your phone call will have to wait Benj." The professor said. "Rogue, keep him company for a little while. Kurt?"

"Yes professor." The elf grabbed his shoulder and disappeared into a puff of smoke.

Benj turned to Rogue, "What's Cerebro? It sounds like-" his eyes went wide with pain. He began reeling from the same pain as Leo. Their connected thoughts were transferring the pain onto him. In a similar fashion he held his aching head and sat forward. His side wound throbbed with every heartbeat.

Rogue sat forward astonished. "Benj, Benj!" his reply was a groan. "Wait here, Ah'll get Mr. McCoy."

* * *

><p><em>In Cerebro<em>

Kurt and Professor X ported into Cerebro, momentarily startling Hank McCoy, AKA Beast, who had already ran in once the alarms began.

"What have we got Hank?" Charles asked.

"I don't know professor." Hank said puzzled, stepping aside.

The professor rolled his chair up to Cerebro's blinking electronics.

_"Discovery, mutant signature detected. _

_Scan complete, identity confirmed. _

_Name: Leo Dyson. _

_Residence: Bayville, Greenwood Apartments. _

_Age: 17. _

_Abilities include: super human strength, enhanced hearing and sight, healing factor, and mono-form shape shifting."_

Cerebro's electronic voice said. Red lights flashed.

_"WARNING. Advanced Mutant Signature detected, proceed with caution."_

"Oh dear." The professor whispered.

"I'm afraid, I'm not following." Hank said.

The professor sighed, "An Advanced Mutant Signature is a mutant gene that has been active since birth. It looks like we have trouble. This mutant's powers are expanding at an alarming rate"

'_Logan, Scott, Rogue, meet me down in Cerebro. We have a mutant to meet.' _Xavier's mental voice rang out.

Rogue was down there in seconds, "Professor! Mr. McCoy! It's Benj, he, he, Ah don't know. It's like his mind's being ripped apart."

"What's going on professor?" Scott asked, running in. He was followed by Logan.

"It seems that our visitor is in trouble, and a mutant with expanding powers as resurfaced." He answered. "Kurt, take me up to see Benj, perhaps we can help him before leaving to see this other mutant"

"I'll go up there too" Beast said, "but I'm taking the stairs."

Kurt and the professor flashed out, leaving behind the scent of sulfur.

* * *

><p>Benj had gotten up out of his bed and was leaning against the wall. His head was pounding, but he tried to ignore it to contact Leo. His eyes began glowing with a pink light as he concentrated.<p>

'_Leo. What's goin on?'_ he asked mentally.

'…_I'm shifting but- aahhh!- something's wrong, I-!'_ Leo's mental response was cut off.

"_Leo!"_ Benj shouted both out loud and mentally. He sat back down on his bed, Leo's pain had ceased flowing into him. Suddenly he felt alone. The scent of brimstone in the room caused him to look around. Kurt and the professor were standing on the other side of his bed.

"Are you okay?" Professor X asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine but-" he stopped. He'd just met these people. Trusting them with too much could be his downfall. "It's nothing, just a renewed headache."

The professor looked unconvinced. "Well, okay then. Kurt would you-"

"Yes, professor. Geez, I'm starting to feel like a taxi service!" Kurt complained as they ported out once more.

_Leo…_ Benj thought.

* * *

><p>"Aww, come on professor! You've been having me port you back and forth all day! The least you could do is let me come with you!" Kurt whined. He was being left behind.<p>

"Sorry, elf. But there's no room for you today." Logan gruffly said. He, Scott and Rogue were going to see this Leo Dyson. They weren't suited up, but they were still prepared for any sort of fight.

Rogue played with her gloves as Scott switched his normal glasses with his Cyclops visor.

The four of them (including Charles Xavier of course), piled into the X-Van. Kurt complained louder, but Logan turned on the engine and took off, stifling any further arguments.

"So Prof, you didn't completely fill us in on this mutant." Scott said, peering around his seat. "What exactly are we facing?"

"Leo Dyson is a mutant with super human strength, hearing, and eyesight. He also has a rapid healing factor, and is able to change his shape, to what I do not know."

Logan snorted, "You might have told us this before Charles, despite what you think, this kid will be ready for a fight."

Rogue nodded, then had a revelation, "Wait, this mutant's name is Leo? Could it be Benj's brother?"

"It very well might be, Rogue" Charles answered.

The rest of the ride to the Greenwood Apartments was in silence.

* * *

><p><em>At the Greenwood Apartment Complex<em>

The X-Men got out of the van and walked up to the last building.

"The teen lives in apartment 2E." Charles said. "Let's go."

It took less than a minute to walk up the stairs and down the hall. Already at the door they could hear the shouts from inside.

"Is that, Spanish?" Scott asked.

Logan nodded and knocked at the door. One of the voices grew silent, and the other into a hushed whisper.

"_Quién_- eh, who's there?" a slow voice asked.

"This is Charles Xavier, from the Xavier's Institute for Gifted Youngsters. Is this the Dyson residence?" the professor asked carefully.

The door opened a crack. They could see a partially concealed face behind the door. It was red, a single crystal blue eye was visible. The eye looked them up and down.

"So you say you're the Xavier bunch? Prove it." The voice said.

Logan sighed and extended his claws.

_Sssshink._

The eye widened, as did the doorway. "Come on in," Tyler said. "Quickly now." And he shut the door tight behind them.

Introductions were made hastily.

A teenager was laying on the brown couch off to the right. His red spikey hair with bleached tips was wilting, and his face was covered in sweat. Claws extended from his fingertips, which were bloody and raw. The pads on the underside of his hands had only begun to appear. The teen's sweat-drenched white T-shirt clung to him, his chest heaving. Small golden hairs covered some areas on his body, but seemed to have forgotten others. The right side of his body bulged with muscles, while the left looked deflated. His amber eyes stared at the ceiling blankly.

"My gawd…" Rogue whispered.

Charles turned to Tyler, "How long has he been like this?"

Tyler shook his head and knelt next to Leo. "It started nearly 25 minutes ago… can you help him? This is the longest a shift has ever taken for him."

Charles came over and looked at the young mutant. "I'll try and make mental contact. I just hope we're not too late." He pressed one hand to his temple, and one to the teen's.

'_Leo'_ the professor said mentally to the teen. _'Can you hear me?'_

Leo's eyes flashed in recognition. _'Sir, you're inside my head. How could I not hear you?'_ Even though his mental voice was weak, it still held onto his characterizing sarcasm. Suddenly his body shook with a renewed spasm. Verbally he yelled out.

The professor continued to probe his mind, which was a confused and dark mess. Leo felt the professor's push in his mind, and shoved back. He could, and would do this alone.

The professor's head whipped back.

"Professor!" Scott yelled, coming to his side.

Charles rubbed his head, "Leo appears to want to do this himself."

Leo's head was swimming. He could feel the thrum of power all around him. From behind Scott's visor, the lights, even from the ends of his fingers; there was power. The power inside him came to a focus point in his chest. He yelled out again, snapping his head up. The fur receded, and all presence of his shift faded.

Slowly, with some help from Ty, Leo sat up. His appearance was more feline, and a faint amber glow came from under his shirt; right above his heart. He grinned like a lunatic. Flicking his tail like nothing happened, Leo shook the professor's hand.

"Leo Dyson, sir. Pleased to meet you." He said. The X-Men stared, dumbfounded.

Logan shook his head. "Well kid, you've got some nerve. Welcome to the X-Men."

Charles Xavier regained his composure and said to the two Dyson brothers, "Why don't you come with us back to the Institute. I have a feeling that is where you both belong."

* * *

><p><strong>If the last chapter left you wondering, "Hey, what's this? Where's the other X-Men?" I apologize, the first two chapters are intros for these new characters. I promise, after this it'll be more about all of them as a team.<strong>

**One more thing, in this chapter I eluded to a possible romance between Benj and Rogue. Just as a head's up, I don't plan on bringing Remy/Gambit into this story. He's a little too uncontrollable for me, so this possible romance will expand. Besides, the Rogue and Gambit thing has been worn to death. He was barely in the series.**


	3. Chapter 3: More to It

**Disclaimer: The X-Men aren't mine. They're Marvel's. The characters Leo Dyson, Benj Dents, Tyler Dyson, and Seth Serverus, are all of my own imagination. They are mine.**

**Author's note: **So if you haven't noticed, I try to publish a chapter roughly once a week. I really do need reviews, because I want to know what I'm doing right, or wrong. Be as frank as you like, I don't care, just want to know. Alright this chapter has some Lance and Kitty (awww...) if you like that.

You know how in my last chapter I said there might be romance between Rogue and Benj, well don't get your hopes up, because it won't be for a while.

Lastly (gosh this is a really long author's note, but it had to be said) to quickly explain what Leo's expanded powers are: more of his physical strength he has when he's shifted has been left in his normal human form, his claws are now pure bronze, and he has a small amber-colored crystal above his heart from where he can feel power in his surrounding area. He doesn't use his powers in this chapter, but just a heads up.

**Review _por favor._ Enjoy.**

* * *

><p>Leo lifted a box out of the back of his truck. They were finally at the X-Mansion. The Dysons were moving most of their possessions to the mansion, including a black motorcycle with bright green stripes.<p>

Xavier had given the typical mutant talk to Tyler, though he hardly needed it. A promise of a secure place to stay was enough to convince him.

The teen flicked his tail and looked at his new home. Several X-Men were coming out of the doors, and windows, to see these new mutants. Ty saw them coming out and pulled his hood lower over his face, mutants or not, he was a demon.

Leo liked the attention. He flexed his muscles and hefted another box off the bed of the truck. A dark-skinned girl was watching him. He stopped his work and walked over to her. More help was coming to unload the truck anyways, he could take a break.

"_Hola, bonita"_ he said.

She looked him up and down then responded in Spanish, "_¿Puedo ayudarte?"_ (_"Can I help you?")_

"Si,_ mi bonita_. I seem to have gotten lost in your eyes. You mind pointing me the way?" Leo faked a sad, puppy dog face.

The girl laughed, "Sure. You see," she pointed to the ground and carved a small map into the ground with a thin jet of lava.

Stepping back, Leo smiled. He was going to like it here. He wouldn't have to hide what he was if everyone else was on the same page. _"Me llamo Leo Dyson."_ _("My name's Leo Dyson.") _ _"¿Qué te llaman?" __("What do they call you?")_

"Amara," the girl said.

He grinned, "A Brazilian! I can tell by your accent. Why it is very nice to meet you."

The Amara turned to a spikey blonde-haired girl beside her. Tabitha had returned to be alongside her friend. They both laughed. "Likewise. And this is Tabitha."

"Watch it newbie," Tabitha said, "this girl packs some heat. You sure you want her?"

He grinned, "Hey, I like a girl with power. Even more if they're beautiful and a mutant." He whispered getting very close to Amara.

She giggled and began flirting back.

Logan grunted as he lifted the motorcycle and set it down. "It looks like the new kid is settling in already."

Charles nodded. "Now that this Apocalypse business is done, I think taking in more recruits is just what we needed."

While Leo was flirting with the girls a stream of thoughts from Benj entered his mind. Since he wasn't expecting it, he stumbled slightly.

"Whoa, there. You okay big guy?" Tabitha asked.

He nodded, and opened his mind to the memories now flooding into his head. Benj was updating him on everything that happened this afternoon. The skaters, the break-in, and the attack. Leo paid especially close attention to the appearance of this "Ray" that blasted Benj.

After the flow of thoughts stopped, Leo glanced around to find the attacker. He was standing with Bobby, and Sam cracking jokes. Leo growled.

Tabitha followed his gaze. She noticed that he seemed on edge. "Uh, Leo?"

He wasn't listening. He half-shifted when Tabitha threw a small firecracker at his feet. Leo stumbled back and fell on the cement. Leo shook himself off and took some big breaths, shifting back to human. Amara looked confused, while Tabitha helped him back up.

Logan looked at Charles, "I have a feeling that this new recruit is going to be a lot of work."

The professor agreed, "Yes, it would seem he has less control than he led us to believe."

* * *

><p><em>At the Brotherhood Boarding House<em>

The Brotherhood boys were bored out of their minds.

Ever since the Apocalypse incident, they had nothing to do. Magneto still wanted little to do with them, and Mystique had disappeared yet again. Life was starting to become a dull repeat. Every day they woke up to do nothing, and went to bed knowing they would do nothing the next day.

The only thing that kept Lance going was that his relationship with Kitty had started up once again. He would leave the dismal life of the Brotherhood behind for a few glorious hours with Kitty nearly every day. Not like anyone at the Brotherhood cared what he did, but he had a tendency to sneak out none the less.

Lance looked out of his window. The path he took so frequently now was like second nature. He climbed out the window onto the roof, and then skidded down to the ground. It was a short drive to the Xavier Institute; Lance just hoped Kitty would be faster. It could get really awkward to just sit in his Jeep outside the gates.

As Lance crept past the windows, Pietro noticed him. "Hey what's Lance doing?" he asked in his speedy way.

Fred rolled over in his chair and shrugged, "I don't know, and I don't care." He paused, "Well he has been leavin just around this time every few days."

Pietro sped to the windows that looked to the front of the house. "If it was up to me I'd say he had himself a girl friend."

"Nah, Lance couldn't even get Kitty to like him." Toad mocked, hopping down the stairs. He joined Pietro at the window. "Wait a minute, is Lance wearing a buttoned shirt?" he asked completely surprised. "And look at that! His jeans ain't ripped!"

Pietro snickered. "Looks like our little Avalanche has caught himself a Kitty."

* * *

><p>Charles Xavier was making introductions to the new mutants. He just finished introducing everyone in the common room, including the adults. Benj sat next to Leo, who was standing, in a wheelchair borrowed from the professor. He still wasn't feeling strong enough to stand on his own, but wasn't going to miss being introduced to everyone.<p>

The professor gestured to the new mutants each in turn, "This is Leo Dyson, Benj Dents, and that is Tyler Dyson." Ty was still standing off to the side, face covered, but he walked up behind Benj and stood there.

Leo flashed his smile that was starting to become a common sight to the X-Men. "Thanks, guys. We're really looking forward to staying here."

"So your parents just allowed you to come stay here?" Bobby asked. "I know my parents put up quite a fight."

Leo and Benj's faces darkened. Leo frowned and felt anger rising up inside of him, and walked out.

"Leo!" the professor called after him.

"I'll go talk to him…" Ty said leaving as well.

An awkward silence extended out. Benj cleared his throat. "Uh… excuse my brothers. Their parents died recently, and they're having a hard time."

"Wait, their parents? Don't yall both have the same parents?" Rogue questioned.

"Well, see… My parents died when I was seven. They were killed in a car crash. The Dysons, well their mom and step-dad, were my godparents, and adopted me." His voice wavered. "They died in a fire a few months ago. It's been hard on all of us."

The professor spoke, "We're sorry for your loss Benj. I'll go talk to Leo as well." He turned to the X-Men. "Scott, Kurt, give Benj a tour of the mansion. The rest of you are free to go."

* * *

><p>Rogue was walking back to her room. Ever since her self-possessed event, she had been given her own room. This promised a bit more space between her and the voices in her head. Currently there was a book on her nightstand with her name on it, <em>Leviathan. <em>

She walked by Kitty's open door. Inside she was preparing for her date with Lance. She was stressing out over what shirt to wear. Rogue walked in unnoticed. "Are ya goin' on anothah date with Lance?"

Kitty yelped. She turned to face Rogue, "Like, don't do that!" she rushed over and closed the door behind Rogue. "Like, why don't you just announce it to, like, the whole mansion, you know?"

Rogue laughed at her as she sat on Kitty's bed. "Might as well, seein' that ya'll are so mushy."

Kitty rolled her eyes, and selected her shirt.

Rogue leaned forward and asked softly, "So are ya goin' ta tell him?"

Kitty pulled on the new shirt and stared at Rogue. "Tell him, like, what?"

She leaned back on the bed. "That ya love him, of course!"

"I don't know what you mean." Kitty said, her face set like stone. She was a terrible liar.

Again, Rogue laughed at the confused girl. "Don't give me crap, Kitty. Ya're inside mah head. Plus since ya are still riskin' everyone findin' out, and makin' fun of ya for it, ya must be." Rogue had the uncanny ability to know just what was going on, since all the X-Men were inside her head.

Kitty frowned, "But what if, like, you know, he doesn't love me back? Like, I'm not ready to make that big a fool of myself."

Rogue got up and stood next to her friend. "Ya forgot again. Lance is in mah head too. Ah know for a fact he loves ya." When Kitty looked ready to protest, Rogue turned her around to face her and continued. "Ah mean, think about it. Lance has nothing in his life right now, but ya. The Brothahhood ain't there for him, Magneto doesn't want him, hell, Lance ain't sure if he even wants himself." Her emerald eyes connected with the younger girl's hazel ones. "All he has is ya, Kitty."

She turned away. Since they stopped sharing a room, the two girls had actually grown closer. Kitty was the first one Rogue would talk to about her dreams, if she could avoid getting the professor involved, and Kitty began to rely more on Rogue's input when it came to her and Lance. It was hard keeping your boyfriend a secret from the whole school, but Rogue helped her however she could.

In a surge of gratitude, Kitty turned around and hugged Rogue. She stiffened, even with clothes completely covering both of them, Rogue wasn't used to any type of touching. Standing there unsure what to do, she watched Kitty melt through the floor.

* * *

><p>"Well that could've been better." Leo grumbled to himself. Both Ty and the professor had come to talk to him about storming off. Neither really knew what had been going through his head. Ty hadn't known the full story of what happened after their parents' deaths; <em>he'd<em> been in the fire! Leo blamed himself for it, thanks to his damn mutation. (Though that story is for another time.)

Then the professor started trying to understand, and that really got his goat. The bald man attempted to pry into his thoughts, both literally and metaphorically. Every time that man poked his mind into Leo's, he felt it. Benj had trained him to feel even the most gentlest of physic blasts, and to repel them. At the time, and even still he wasn't sure why'd they trained, but either way he was glad for it. To make it worse every time Leo sent the professor's mind away, the professor would get this funny look on his face, and would raise an eyebrow. That got annoying.

_No bald men in my head, oh no_. Leo said to himself. Now once again he would be in trouble for leaving in the middle of a conversation, but he couldn't take it. His mother and Pablo's deaths… they were too fresh in his mind.

* * *

><p>Ty turned his bright red head to the professor. "I just don't know what, professor."<p>

Professor X shook his head, "When he's ready he'll talk about it; but until then we'll wait."

'_Scott, Kurt, see if you can find Leo, and then come to my office. You can give the tour to all three of our new students.'_ The professor's mental voice rang out.

_'On it!'_ Kurt mentally replied. He ported into the professor's office and took Ty by the arm. Ty jerked away.

"Ahhh! A little warning!" he yelled out. His hood fell off his head.

Before he could stop himself, Kurt took a sharp intake of breath. It was the first time he had completely seen Tyler's face. Tyler shrank back, ashamed.

"No, dude. It's cool!" Kurt said over enthusiastically. "I get it." He'd been furry and blue all afternoon (well, and his life), but none of the new students took any notice. Now he knew why, Ty's appearance was quite shocking. "Come on, man! I'll show you around." With that, Kurt grabbed his elbow and ported out.

* * *

><p>"…and this is the Danger Room. The last, and most exciting part of our tour." Scott said. He and Kurt had showed the three mutants everything, but saved the best for last. Logan and some of the younger students were having a Danger Room session.<p>

"Kurt, put us up in the control booth. We can get the best view from there." Scott grinned.

Despite Leo's foul mood, he'd enjoyed the tour; but what he saw in the Danger Room made the night.

Logan's session was something on strategic points, knowing when and where to strike to get the most out of your punch. Leo didn't pay too much attention to that, but watched the action with determination.

Bobby (Iceman), Ray (Berserker), Amara (Magma), and Tabitha (Boom-boom) were suited up and ready. When it started, three cannons emerged from the floor. Leo felt the power fluctuating from the three. Although he was positive all three would hurt, he could feel that the cannon on the far left shorted out every fifteen seconds. The one in the middle had a weak connection between the laser part and its base. There was a small joint that it had that if hit, would destroy the whole thing. The last cannon was simply rotating around in a seemingly random pattern, shooting things. Though as Leo watched, the pattern was obvious: quarter turn right, half turn left, spin round twice going right, then a two-second increment between left and right turns before repeating.

He watched smugly as the newer X-Men tried several maneuvers.

"Come on guys!" Bobby yelled. There were smoking holes in their uniforms already. "Amara, try hitting the middle's cannon's joint!" Iceman had clearly taken charge. Amara sent a stream of lava through the air, right to the cannon's weak point. It crumbled.

Berserker was the next to take down cannon. He and Tabitha circled around the spinning cannon until he had a long enough break from dodging lasers to fire.

Finally, with only one cannon left the four of them focused their powers on it. The cannon exploded. The teens cheered, but Logan walked over grumbling.

"Took you all long enough." He frowned, but then flashed a smug smile, "But I guess you passed."

The teens cheered again and ran out of the Danger Room.

Logan looked up to the control panel, "Well, are you guys just gonna watch, or are you gonna take your turn?"

Scott turned on the intercom into the Danger Room, "No, Wolverine, we were just finishing our tour." He turned to the new mutants, "unless of course, you wanted to try it out before dinner?"

Benj shook his head, "No way, I can't even stand at the moment." He shoved off on his wheelchair and went rolling across the room.

Leo grinned with wolfish glee. "Sure, I'd love to try it out." He turned to Tyler, "Ty, you up for it?"

The older mutant stared at him with cold blue eyes, "No. I don't have any real powers anyways."

Scott turned to Ty. "Well, you'll never know if you don't try, but hey. Not everyone has to do Danger Room exercises on their first day. Come on Leo, you can borrow one of my old uniforms." He motioned for Leo to follow.

* * *

><p>Leo looked really funny in Scott's uniform, and he knew it. When he wasn't shifted, he was just as skinny as Scott, but at least five inches shorter. The sleeves and pant legs were cuffed four times so it didn't swallow his hands and feet. Then there was when he was shifted. In his lion humanoid shift, Leo was as tall as Scott, but had twice the muscle. It looked like someone had tried to shove a football player into a scarecrow's clothes.<p>

Logan couldn't help but chuckle when Scott and Leo came into the Danger Room. Both were suited up in matching uniforms, but it made Leo look like a Cyclops wantabee.

"Alright kid, I haven't seen you in your full out lion shift, so let's see it." Logan commanded.

Sighing Leo focused on shifting for a second. He shifted into a lion humanoid, his hair grew into a fiery mane, his jaw widened while his canines sharpened and grew longer. He finished his shift and was covered in golden fur. He flicked his tail from the small hole they had to cut out for it. He couldn't even move his arms. He felt ridiculous.

At least he wasn't being swallowed by the uniform.

Logan chuckled again, "Alright, you know what? I don't think this is gonna work. Can you even move in that thing?"

Leo looked down at himself and fingered the obnoxiously huge X on his chest. He groaned. "No, I feel like a sausage."

Wolverine chuckled. "Then we'll just have to hold off Danger Room fun until you get some proper slops." Just then a bell rang through the entire mansion. "Good thing too, it's time for dinner."

* * *

><p>Dinner was a chaotic affair at the Xavier Mansion. Leo was joking around with all the other guys at the table. Benj sat next to him in his borrowed wheel chair. Ty was next, head still covered, sitting next to Kurt who had left his holographic disguise off.<p>

The food was spread out all along the table, but a lot of the X-Men had food needs. Ray couldn't eat anything with peanuts, Kitty was a vegetarian, Rogue couldn't have her food touching (thanks Mazzie May for that idea), Scott was obsessed with health food, Bobby wouldn't eat anything with too much salt, and Kurt was afraid of eating anything blue. So extra "special needs food" was sprinkled throughout the normal food.

Everyone started digging in. Leo glanced awkwardly at Benj. _'Should we still say grace?'_ he asked mentally.

_'Yeah, you want to?'_ Benj responded, bowing his head.

"Father God, thank you for this food. Also thanks for bringing us to the X-Men, I know this is goin' to be great." Kurt looked over at Leo and joined into the prayer.

"Thanks Lord for these new mutants. Leo, Benj, and Ty are great." Rogue looked at Kurt, raising an eyebrow, but remaining respectful. "Help Ty realize that here among friends, he has nothing to hide." Kurt finished.

"In Your name we pray, Amen." Leo ended with. He looked over at Kurt. "Do you usually-?"

"Da, but usually not out loud." Kurt grinned at Leo, "It's nice to know I'm not the only one though." He turned to Ty. "Maybe you should take your hood off now, no one here is going to care."

Ty shook his head. "Not now… I… I'm not ready yet." Kurt frowned slightly but said nothing.

"Where's Kitty?" Jean asked in general to everyone.

The table got quite for a second then Rogue said, "She wasn't feelin' well so she stayed upstairs in her room."

Storm got up, "Well then I'll just bring her dinner up to her."

Rogue stopped her, "Ya don't have to do that, Storm. Ah'll bring it up ta her." She grabbed the plate Storm had for Kitty and headed upstairs to feed the invisible Kitty.

"Kitty is so gonna owe me one." Rogue mumbled as she put the plate of food in Kitty's room.

* * *

><p>Lance sat inside his Jeep, waiting for Kitty just outside the Xavier mansion's gates. He strained his eyes trying to catch a glimpse of Kitty on the grounds. At last she came into view. He smiled.<p>

She phased through the gates and ran over to his Jeep. "Like, hi Lance. How's it going?"

"Pretty good." He got up out of the driver's seat and opened the car door for her. "I hope you like Italian, Kitty."

"Sounds delicious Lance."

He got back in the driver's seat and drove off.

* * *

><p>"Right this way" the waiter said, leading the pair off to a table.<p>

The restaurant was a simple one, Lance couldn't afford much, and he usually tried to deny Kitty from paying. The lighting was low and the waiter seated them in a corner off to the side.

When their food arrived, Lance dug in eagerly. He'd been skipping some meals to afford a special meal with Kitty. Tonight he was going to grow some balls and tell her.

"Uh, Kitty." He said, after they had spent several minutes making small talk.

"Yeah Lance?"

He took a deep breath and looked into her hazel eyes. _Man, what did I get myself into?_ He asked himself. Things just kept getting harder. He'd backed out too many times though,_ Time to be a man. _He leaned over and kissed her.

"I love you Kitty." He said quietly. "And I don't care what the others think."

She stared at him. "Rogue was right." She whispered.

Lance looked hurt. _Rogue? What did she have to do with anything?_

Kitty looked back up at Lance, and kissed him. "I love you too."

"Well then why did you mention Rogue, what does_ she_ have to do with it?" he asked hurt.

"Lance. It's just that just today she was talking to me about telling you that, you know, I love you." Kitty answered.

He was confused. "What? How did she-" he stopped. _Her powers, you imbecile. _"So if I hadn't just said it, you would have."

"Like, yeah. You know I hate how she knows more about our relationship then, like, we do."

Lance laughed. "You know Kitty; she's not that bad a friend to have. I wish one of the Brotherhood guys could be like her. I can't confide in any of those blockheads."

She giggled, "What? The Blob isn't the one you go to for relationship advice? Like I thought you did."

"Oh so you're gonna go there? I can't believe you take relationship advice from someone who's never been in one." He paused. "Sorry, that was rude. It's not Rogue's fault."

Kitty smiled to herself, Lance sure was a nice guy. "You know, Lance, you should, like, try to come back to the Institute." He grimaced, the last time hadn't ended well. "Oh come on Lance! I don't think they would act like they did the last time. You're different now."

He shook his head. "No way Kitty, maybe later on, but right now? There's still no way the X-Men would allow me there."

"Like, I don't know Lance. We just got three new mutants, so, like, at least the attention would be spread out. And like," she held his hand on the table, "I'd be there for you. Plus at least three guys there wouldn't know you already, you know?"

He turned away, "Let's just drop this Kitty. I want to have a lovely date with you, without the X-Men."

"Alright." She moved her chair beside his and kissed him again, wrapping her arms around him.

* * *

><p>After dinner Leo and Benj headed to their room to unpack and personalize. Ty had his own room, since he was plenty older than any of the other students, already he experienced his twenty-seventh birthday.<p>

Rogue was headed out to help Kitty sneak back in, without being noticed. Easier said than done.

The Jeep pulled up while Rogue stood just outside the gate. Kitty leaned over and kissed Lance again, mumbling a good-bye. Rogue rolled her eyes. _Couples_.

"Come on Kitty!" she hissed. Kitty stuck her tongue out at Rogue. Lance came over to Kitty's side and opened her door.

"I would walk you all the way back, but…" he trailed off.

She kissed him again, getting a snort from Rogue. "It's okay, we'll tell them some other time." Then she left, phasing through the gate to Rogue.

"So mushy!" Rogue whispered to Kitty as they slunk back across the grounds.

* * *

><p><strong>End note: The book I mentioned, <em>Leviathan<em>, is real. AND AWESOME! It's by Scott Westerfield (he wrote the Uglies) and I suggest you check it out.**

I hope you appreciated my English to Spanish translations. They might be distracting, but I feel like you lose something if something's not said in Spanish.

**I was going to have Ray (Berserker) be Leo and Benj's rival within the X-Men, but while I was writing this chapter I changed my mind. I started to realize Ray would be the perfect friend for Leo to have, so I stopped my rivalary idea. I'm open to suggestions on who should be their X-Men 'friendly' rival.**

**Next chapter will have more Wolverine. (Yes!) **


	4. Chapter 4: For a While

**Disclaimer: The X-Men aren't mine, they're Marvel's. I only claim possesion of Leo, Benj, Tyler, and Seth. (for now)**

**Author's Note: I realize this is a short (for me) chapter. **It is more of a bridging chapter anyways, to link the story together. I almost forgot that Leo had to return to the zoo.

**Please enjoy this chapter that I refer to as: "Wimpy Bridge" **

* * *

><p>Warm rays of sunlight flittered through the window blinds. Leo squinted, shifting to avoid their harsh glare. Unable to bear it any longer he sat up on his new bed at the Xavier Institute.<p>

He looked over at Benj, who was fast asleep on the bed opposite his. The two of them had spent half the night arranging things and personalizing their room.

The two beds sat on opposite walls, each with the longer side against the wall. There was a nightstand for each of them; Leo placed his at the head of his bed, while Benj placed his at the foot. Benj had the unwelcome habit of completely flipping around during the night and sleeping backwards in his bed so the location of his clock was perfect. On Leo's nightstand sat a gray alarm clock with glowing red numbers. It read 7:02.

Leo sighed, and breathed in his new home. He glanced back at Benj.

Benj lay sprawled out completely on his bed, his arm hung over the side. The exhausted teen had fallen asleep with his jeans on. It almost looked like he had fallen into slumber while he was changing into pajamas (which was completely plausible), his borrowed shirt laid in a crumpled heap next to his bed.

Kurt had been nice enough to loan Benj a shirt, since his had been torched, but it had been covered in tiny blue, scratchy hairs. He'd hadn't said anything, but Leo knew it had bugged the crap out of him all day.

It was much too early for Benj to be up, partially because of their late night, but also because he was a late riser. The teen continued to sleep soundly, despite his brother's waking.

Leo got up and crept toward the closet. He opened it, flinching when it creaked, then grabbed a pair of khaki shorts and his zoo uniform shirt, which luckily he hadn't worn yesterday. He threw them on hastily and snatched the truck keys.

He still had a job to finish.

* * *

><p>Logan sat in the kitchen, drinking his coffee and reading through the newspaper. Kitty sat at the table, typing a letter to her parents. It was a type of silence the two had started to enjoy and become accustomed to.<p>

Then Leo came in. The teen's hair was freshly spiked, and he wore a polished set of blue colored shark's teeth around the leather chain on his neck. He didn't mean to be loud, but he was. The moment he slammed into the door it shattered the silence both Kitty and Logan were enjoying.

"Uh…" he said, glancing between the two. Obviously he had interrupted something, from the frustrated looks he was getting from the two. He gulped; it would take a while to get used to living with so many people. "Uhhh… Morning. Getting breakfast." He stood there awkwardly, swishing his tail back and forth.

"Can I help you with somethin' kid?" Logan grunted, breaking the silence he held.

"Yeah, uh… how do you open the gates? I gotta get to work" Leo answered.

"Work?" Kitty asked, shocked. None of the other X-Men held jobs, well not the kids at least.

"Yes, Kitty. Work." He said, impatient. "Look, if I don't leave now I'll be late for my last day… at least for a while."

Logan got up from his chair and set aside his coffee mug and paper. "I'll open the gates for you, kid. Just remember, try to be back here by four o' clock. The professor wants to get you fitted into a uniform." He looked the teen up and down. "You work at the Zoo? Know anything about that attack yesterday?" As soon as he finished the question he knew he shouldn't have. Wafts of fear came off of Leo, who was thinking that if he told the truth; he would be gone, banished from this new home.

The gruff man sighed, "Never mind that. Come on kid, off to work!"

* * *

><p>Leo pulled through the Institute gates, and nodded at the solemn Logan who was standing to the side. He'd made him promise not to mention the Zoo incident until, well the professor asked. Not like Leo could hide it forever, but he wanted to deal with it later. Now was not a good time.<p>

He reached the Zoo in less time than he thought, and entered in the employee entrance. Mr. Walkman stood there, waiting for him.

_That's strange_. He thought. _Seth is usually the one who I would see first._

"Good morning, Mr. Walkman. Ready to get to work!" Leo said cheerfully.

"Likewise." The man answered, his gray mustache bristling.

"Sir, where is Seth?" Leo asked.

Mr. Walkman turned to Leo as they walked down to the lion enclosure. "Mr. Severus wasn't feeling well this morning and called in sick. He hasn't really been himself the last couple days."

With a start Leo realized it too. Seth hadn't been his usual cheerful self yesterday. Leo contributed it to the fact that he attacked Zoo guests, but even still, Seth had seemed angry and dismal before that as well.

Suddenly he felt very worried for the mutant supervisor.

But he had little time to worry, his job was just beginning. They had arrived at the lion enclosure.

"Alright, Leo. You know what to do." Mr. Walkman said, leaving Leo to his tasks.

Leo turned to the two zoo employees who were there to assist with the lions. "Drake, Pat," he said, nodding. "You clear on the plan?"

Drake, a young man with blonde hair, and Pat, a similarly aged black man, nodded.

"Hey, Leo. What exactly happened yesterday?" Pat asked just as Leo was climbing into the enclosure.

He froze. "I'll tell you later. Hand me the tranquilizer." Neither were mutants, and in all honesty, Leo had no intention on telling them what happened.

He finished climbing the gate and crept through the enclosure, looking for the injured lions. He was going to tranquilize them then carry them out. He sighed. It would take less time if another employee went with him, but he was the only one for sure the lions wouldn't try to eat.

It sucked being a mutant. You got used, a lot.

* * *

><p>Benj rolled over to hide his face from the light, but instead flopped off the bed. He groaned and threw his arm across his face. The wound in his side was throbbing to a whole different beat today.<p>

_Great_. He thought. _And now I'm stuck on the floor._

He tried sitting up, but the sudden movement split his side. Leo was gone, he knew that. There was no way Benj was going to try and call out for some random X-Men to help him so he came to a decision on what to do. He was going to lie on the floor. Forever if need be.

Luckily for him, a savior came. And he was fuzzy.

A puff of smoke entered the corner of the room, followed immediately by Kurt.

"Benj! Leo! You're going to miss breakfast!" Kurt yelled in utter dismay. Missing breakfast to him was like dying. He looked down at Benj. "What are you doing on da floor? And where's Leo?"

Benj smiled, and then groaned in pain. "Leo's at work. Now the answer to your first question: Can't get up. You mind helping me?" Kurt bent down to help him up by supporting him on his left side, "Ahh! No, no, Kurt get on my other side. Thanks" he said as Kurt helped him into the wheel chair sitting beside the bed. He wheeled himself over to the open closet and grabbed a dark green shirt. "Breakfast you said?" Benj said as he speedily wheeled himself out of the room. Kurt followed behind.

"Hey wait for me!" Kurt said, bounding after him.

* * *

><p>The job was finished in little time, but still more than Leo would've liked. Leo saw that his pride (lions) got to the infirmary okay, then he practically bolted out. He stopped by Mr. Walkman's office on the way out to receive his last paycheck for a while.<p>

_For a while_. That was the phrase he would use. It seemed hopeful, though he didn't completely believe it.

He knocked on the door then went in. Mr. Walkman looked up from some paperwork and sighed.

"Glad you're here Leo. I'm sorry about all of this."

Leo nodded, trying to keep the lump in his throat down. It couldn't just be ending.

_It was those damn jocks anyways._ Leo told himself. _Once I start school I can't wait to grind them into dust, errr… in a completely school appropriate way of course_.

Mr. Walkman signed a check and handed it to Leo. "Son, you know that if I had another choice... but the Zoo board will find out soon enough. This is the best way to protect you from getting into any real trouble. I'll call you when it is okay for you to return."

"Yes, sir." Leo answered gruffly.

He turned and retreated back to his pick-up. Once there he turned the stereo on full blast and drove back to the Institute. There might as well have been a dark cloud over Leo's head.

* * *

><p><strong>Author note: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Wimpy. Whatever, next chapter is what I was talking about before: Wolverine action.<strong>

**Just stick around, okay? I'll pull a long Saturday, just for you guys. Special thanks to my first two reviewers: magicrazy101 and Tigereye13.**

**To answer Tigereye13's question: I'm going to explain from where Ray recognizes Benj in the next chapter. Oh the suspense!**


	5. Chapter 5:Taming Lions Part 1

**Disclaimer:The X-Men aren't mine. They're Marvel's. The characters Leo Dyson, Benj Dents, Tyler Dyson, and Seth, are all of my own imagination. They are mine.**

**Author's note: **Okay, I lied about trying all day Saturday to get this done, it just didn't happen. But this chapter is part one of a two part 'episode' where Logan will be working a lot with Leo. As I said, Leo has some control issues.

Also I came up with their codenames, Leo's name is just ironic enough that I wanted to leave it, but instead simply made his codename the Spanish word for lion. Benj's codename was harder to come up with and I might change it later (but I'll let you know first). *Speaking of which: While I was doing some editing I decided to drop Leo's codename, then came up with a new one. I'll explain in future author's notes, but it doesn't really matter.

I wrote the fight scenes while fighting off writers block so they aren't the best but I think they're still good.

(If you're re-reading this, I did change where Benj knows Ray from a little bit)

**Please enjoy the first part of Taming Lions. Or as I call it: Danger Room Fun. **

* * *

><p>Wolverine would never admit this to anyone, but he was starting to take a liking to Leo. A lot had happened in the past three weeks since he and his brothers first arrived.<p>

* * *

><p>It was the morning of Leo's last day at work at the Zoo.<p>

Typically the students and teachers at the Xavier Institute ate breakfast at erotic times, but the professor had insisted on one big breakfast to welcome their newest students. Then again, he hadn't planned on one of them being absent.

Benj came flying into the room on his borrowed wheelchair, followed closely behind by Kurt. Everyone else had been woken up, to some of their dismay, and assembled around the long table which was covered in the perfect breakfast food: PANCAKES!

Talk was light that morning, and the professor's questions of where Leo was were answered simply. He was at work.

The professor asked to see Logan after breakfast. He knew what he would ask, and he knew he wouldn't answer, not fully anyways.

Benj had just finished his seventh pancake and fourth strip of bacon when his cellphone rang from inside his pocket. _Battle of the Heroes_ rang out through the dining room.

Kurt laughed. "Is that what I think it is?"

Benj looked surprised, it was Vince's ringtone. "Uh, yeah. _Battle of the Heroes_, John Williams, in Star Wars…" he dug his phone out of his pocket and answered. "Vince?"

Logan's fine hearing picked up the other voice, a scratchy male voice. "Benj! Thank God! You're alive!"

"Heck yeah I'm alive!"

"Well then where are you? Nearly gave me a heart attack when you didn't come back yesterday."

Benj smiled, "I'm still at the Xavier Institute."

"What? Are they keepin' you prisoner or something?" Logan chuckled inwardly at this. This Vince was pretty funny.

"No way, they invited me to stay."

"Alright Benj. Listen I'll be there in ten."

"Wait, you don't-" he looked down at his cell. Vince had hung up. He turned to the professor, "Uh… Professor Xavier, can I have a friend over?"

The professor chuckled, "Well seeing as he's already on his way, of course."

"Great!" The blonde teen replied as he rolled out of the room. His leaving was the cue for the rest of the students that they could follow suit. As the table cleared, Logan followed Professor Xavier into his study.

The professor folded his hands under his chin. "So what is really going on with Leo?"

"Look Chuck, I promised the kid I wouldn't tell you. He's pretty keen on telling you himself." Logan grumbled.

The professor nodded, and looked at Logan, who was leaning up against Xavier's desk. "I understand."

* * *

><p><em>Vince's visit…<em>

A teen with short black hair skateboarded up to the Xavier Mansion's gates. He waved his arms at a camera perched at the top of the gate post. The gates swung wide. Vince kicked up his skateboard and walked in.

He was startled when Benj rolled up to him. "What the hell?" He asked as he and Benj grasped arms.

"Hey you never asked if I was hurt, only if I was dead. Which that question, by the way, was idiotic." Benj joked.

The black-haired teen laughed, a scratchy unnatural sound. "Yeah, I suppose it was." He raised an eyebrow at Benj. "You sure you can't walk? I was hoping to do some skating." Vince finished his statement, kneeling down to be at eye level with Benj.

"Don't think so. But let's see how far I can get." Benj answered. He was always one to push himself, often beyond his limits. Vince helped hoist Benj up. Anyone watching would have thought they were hugging, which made the next thing that occurred all the more hilarious.

Bobby and Ray had been watching from a small distance away. Both were interested in this friend of Benj's, more mere curiosity than any sort of malicious intent. When Bobby saw Vince "hug" Benj, he was confused._ This new mutant was gay?_ He approached them both as Benj stood fully up and leaned heavily on Vince.

"Are you going to introduce us to your boyfriend, here Benj?" Bobby asked with Ray trailing closely behind.

The two skaters looked at each other for a moment. Then they burst out laughing.

Benj was laughing so hard he soon was gasping for breath. He pulled the small silver canister from his pocket and took a deep breath, then resumed laughing. Finally the laughter died down, after leaving Bobby standing there, uncomfortable and looking like a moron.

"We're not gay, Bobby." Benj answered him at last, a smile still plastered on his face. "Vince," he gestured to the human beside him, "this is Bobby and-"

"Ray Crisp." Vince finished, a dangerous and dark edge to his voice.

"Vincent Bohr." Ray stepped forward and glared at Benj, "Now I know where I've seen you from." He pointed at Vince. "You're one of this, this… ah! One of HIS friends!"

Benj's only response was to look confused, as he watched an argument between Vince and Ray, over… _a girl? _Then he remembered, when he'd first came to Bayville he'd met Vince at a skate park. He'd instantly taken a liking to the black-haired teen and backed him up in a fight a week and a half later. Now when Benj looked at Ray, he remembered the brawl he'd been involved in, it had been over Vince's girlfriend.

"Hey, it wasn't my fault she came to her senses Ray!" Vince shouted, still supporting Benj.

Ray advanced "Only reason she chose you was-!"

"WAS WHAT?" Vince angrily answered back.

Ray grabbed Vince's shirt, causing him to drop Benj to try to loosen the electric mutant's grasp. Benj stumbled back without Vince to support him and fell back into the wheelchair.

"Was because you were human and I was not!" With that he shoved the black haired teen to the ground.

Vince rolled back up and took a fighting stance. He swung his left fist at Ray's head, who ducked underneath and caught the arm. He twisted the arm back behind Vince's back, and he responded in a cry of pain. Vince then aimed a backwards kick at Ray's groin. Ray dodged, but lost his grip on Vince's arm. He took a few steps back, and electric sparks began to dance up and down Berserker's arm.

Benj winced as he remembered the feeling of electricity pumping through his limbs. Both he and Bobby saw the danger before it happened. Bobby jumped in front of Ray and held him back; Benj jerked Vince's arm back and sent a thought to him.

'_Stop it._' Benj commanded. Although his physic powers were weak, he couldn't really influence anyone in that way, he sent a small amount of influence behind his words.

Vince froze and looked at Benj, instantly calm.

Ray, on the other hand, was struggling against Bobby's hold. He let loose a string of curses at Vince, who simply shrugged them off.

"Let's go inside." The teen said, spinning Benj's wheelchair around and heading toward the mansion.

* * *

><p><em>The three new mutant's first Danger Room training showed that they were not as sure of their powers as they thought.<em>

"Alright! Check it out!" Leo shouted, jumping around in his brand new X-Men uniform. He struck a pose.

Benj laughed at him. It was five days after Vince's visit, and Benj's side had mostly healed up. He still felt the pain every once in a while, but was perfectly capable now of walking, even running.

Leo's uniform was black like everyone else's with an X inside an oval on his chest, it was sleeveless with the classic yellow X shoulder pads, a thick yellow belt, and his boots were a sort of mesh that would allow his feet to grow into paws without ripping a new pair of boots every time.

Benj's was rather different from his brother's. It was still black, but had full sleeves, a large, forest green 'X' on his chest, and forest green X's on his upper arms. He also discovered from the few sessions he had done with Professor Xavier that his hair dipped into his eyes often. He'd secured a pair of flight goggles to help with that and when he propelled himself through the air.

Ty, although he wasn't in the pair's room, had also been given a uniform. He'd asked the professor if a hood could be attached, and the professor complied. The two brothers were excited to get their first glance of Ty in uniform.

Leo and Benj left their room in a surge of joy. Kurt bounded up to them in his uniform, "Are you guys ready for your first Danger Room session?"

"Oh yeah!" Leo said, striking his heroic pose again.

Nightcrawler laughed, "I hope you guys are ready. My first Danger Room session didn't end too well." He said sighing.

Benj chuckled at his fuzzy friend's dismay. "Will the professor give us our codenames then?" He wondered aloud.

"Probably, but I think we should just call you two: Furball and the Windbag." Kurt teased.

"Hey!" Leo yelled, offended. Kurt sped away with an annoyed "furball" behind him.

* * *

><p><em>Danger Room Controls<em>

Wolverine growled impatiently. Only half the students were present, and they were supposed to have been there five minutes ago.

Then Kurt ported into the center of the control room. He was laughing.

"What is wrong with you elf?" Wolverine growled.

The door to the control room flew open and Leo ran out and tackled Kurt. Benj walked in after him and watched with amusement the scene unfolding.

Leo and Kurt were rolling around, Leo pretending to be mad about the furball comment.

Wolverine, on the other hand, was literally about ready to explode. As the last of the students filed in he burst. He grabbed the two mutants by their necks and held them off the ground.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" He snarled.

Kurt shrank back, but Leo stood his ground, "Sorry, sir. We were just messing around."

Shaking his head, Wolverine started ranting about how the Danger Room was not a playground.

Kitty giggled. "At least he isn't yelling at me this time." She muttered to Rogue.

The professor rolled in. "Wolverine."

He paused mid-sentence and set the two boys down. "Erm, Chuck. Are we ready to start?"

"Almost, only Tyler seems to be missing. We'll do the debriefing once he's here." The professor said, just as Ty walked in.

Tyler stopped in the doorway as every set of eyes turned to him. His uniform was the same basic one the "new recruits" wore, but had an included hood. He offered no apology for arriving late, but just walked in silently.

"Alright, now that we are all here, Wolverine?" Charles said, gesturing to Logan.

"After some thought, we changed our original plan for Danger Room training today. We're going to have some fun today." He paused as the X-Men cheered. "Now, wait. It's not all fun. We're going to play capture-the-flag. With some twists." He said grinning. This was not a good sign, Wolverine found personal injury entertaining and fun.

Charles took over the explanation from here. "We tried to balance the teams out, but with our three new friends, we're bound to have some surprises. Rogue, Scott, you two are captains." There were several complaints from Bobby who felt that he and the other "new recruits" should all be on one team, and he be the leader. "No, Bobby. Not today, the teams are already chosen, Logan?"

"Listen up! On Cyclops' team is Jean, Shadowcat, Berserker, Iceman, Multiple, Colossus, and Tyler, who has been given the codename Spades."

"Alright Ty!" Bobby said, raising his hand for a high-five. Ty stared at it. Bobby had started warming up to the older mutant in the last few days, trying to pry Tyler out of his shell. Finally Ty returned the high-five after several long painful seconds.

"Then on Rogue's team is Nightcrawler, Magma, Tabitha, Sunspot, Cannonball, Leo who has been given the codename León, and Benj who has been given the codename Turbulence." Wolverine finished. "Now, for the rules. The two teams will not be facing off, but instead will be facing the computer." Several of the X-Men groaned. "Stop complaining! The flag will be hidden in the computer's territory. There is no 'jail'. The computer will simply take you out. Now Rogue, heads or tails."

"Wha'?" Rogue asked, slightly confused.

"To decide who goes first, your team or Summers'."

"Oh, heads."

Wolverine pulled a quarter out of his pocket and flipped it. Tails. "Alright, it looks like Summers' team is up first!"

Cyclops' commanding nature took over. "Let's go team!"

* * *

><p>Scott's plan was simple. Break through the enemy lines and search for the flag. Only he hadn't counted on the terrain, or the cannons. He ducked back behind a large rock where Ty, now Spades, was hiding. The new mutant had little idea what his powers really were, and was quite sure they were just his appearance.<p>

The Danger Room had generated a rocky landscape and Wolverine had programmed heavy cannons that popped out from under the rocks. None of the X-Men had made it very far past the glowing blue line that marked the start of enemy territory. Jamie had already been knocked out, and Berserker had dragged him back into the X-Men's territory. Shadowcat and Colossus cowered behind a rock horizontal to Cyclops and Spades'.

"This isn't working." Spades muttered. The X-Men were spread thin over the same area as them. Cyclops stood up next to him and fired at the nearest cannon, blasting it to smithereens.

"Agreed, but I think we have an opening. Go! I'll cover you!" Cyclops yelled as he jumped out from behind the rock.

Spades scrambled up and ran farther into enemy territory. His red skin stuck out like a sore thumb against the dark landscape.

A cannon started focusing in on Spades. More X-Men began running up the hill, and Scott turned and noticed the cannon taking aim on Spades.

"SPADES! HEADS UP!" He yelled, but too late. The cannon blasted its high energy beam at Spades. The rocks around him exploded, leaving a smoking crater. Scott ran up to where he saw Spades fall.

In the center of the crater Spades was crouched down with his arms over his head. Smoke rolled off of him, but otherwise he seemed no worse for wear. Slowly he lowered his arms and stared at them.

"Well, that's new." He mumbled, turning to look up at Cyclops.

Cyclops turned to Iceman, who was standing beside him, "Go make sure he's okay." Then he left, and joined the charge forward.

Iceman scrambled down the side of the crater to Spades' side. "Dude. That was awesome, why didn't you say you could do that before?" He tried to help him up, but Spades' skin burned Iceman's hands. "Ouch!"

Suddenly a wave of sickness came over Spades. He bent over and puked. The energy that swelled into his body left him feeling too full and queasy. As he emptied his guts on in the base of the crater, Bobby stood next to him and called for help. Spades reached a hand up and grabbed Iceman's arm.

"Stop. I'm okay, j-just…" he started, and then halted. Another explosion shook the ground. An idea dawned on him. He bolted up and ran out toward the nearest cannon.

"Wait for me!" Iceman called after him. He was never one to be left out of a fight. He watched Spades charge for the cannon, "What are you doing?" He yelled, as he ice bridged after him.

Spades didn't break his charge as he replied, "Distraction! Get the cannon!" With that the cannon took aim and fired. Spades stopped and absorbed the blast. Iceman iced the base of the cannon.

"Colossus!" he yelled.

The metal giant came barreling toward the cannon and knocked it over.

Pretty soon the other X-Men picked up on this strategy and followed suit. The flag was found shortly after the last cannon was destroyed, Kitty tripped over it.

"Good job X-Men." Charles said over the intercom as Scott's team cheered. Spades slunk to the back of the group and covered his head. "Head back up here and Rogue's team will take their turn."

* * *

><p>"Alright, here's the plan." Rogue said to her team. "Kurt: ya scout out the othah side, try and see if ya can spot the flag. Tabitha and Amara: ya two will be out in front when we storm the othah side. Benj: ya'll be air support, okay? Everyone else will head out behind and we'll try and find that flag in less time than Scott's team."<p>

Leo raised his hand. "Can I ask something."

Rogue glared at him, "Yea, I guess."

"Well, could I go with Nightcrawler for scouting? I can sense where the cannons are by their energy fields. It'll give him some back up too." Leo asked cautiously. He didn't want to override Rogue's authority, but he felt he could be of more use this way.

Rogue pursed her lips as he thought about the suggestion. It sounded fair enough; she agreed.

"Fine, Kurt, Leo, scout it out will ya?"

Kurt grabbed Leo and ported.

Rogue's team had been given different terrain than Scott's. Now the Danger Room was a forest. As Nightcrawler and Leo were discovering, there were smaller cannons hidden in the trees.

Nightcrawler ported to another section of the enemy territory. Leo closed his eyes for a second, trying to get a feel for the cannons around them. Energy pulsated out of a tree behind them and to their left.

_Great. Like this isn't getting old yet._ Leo thought to himself.

He spun around and shifted, digging his claws into the tree and tearing it up. Having claws of bronze wasn't so bad.

Two more cannons flared out of a tree and fired at Nightcrawler. His eyes grew wide as he ported out of danger. Leo turned around and slashed the cannons out of the tree.

"Dude this is taking too long." He grumbled, grimacing as he rubbed his paws.

"Da, but we haven't found the flag yet." Nightcrawler answered.

"I'll keep looking; you head back and get started with the others." Leo said grinning his lunatic smile. He couldn't be argued with when he grinned like that.

Kurt shrugged then ported back. Soon Rogue got her team on the move to simply take the whole area. Turbulence launched himself into the air and watched the action from the sky.

The X-Men knocked down trees by blowing them up, melting them with lava, and by crashing into them with their heads. Turbulence swirled up a tornado and knocked down several more trees.

All of a sudden, something caught his eye. The flag.

"GUYS!" He yelled, swooping lower so they could hear him. "I found the flag!"

Rogue rolled out of the way of a cannon blast, then turned her face up. "Then go ahead and grab it!"

"Roger roger." He responded, bending the air around him to propel him to the flag.

Benj forgot that there were cannons below him, until one hit him in the same spot Ray had.

"Ack!" He yelled as he spun out of cotrol toward the ground.

Leo felt and saw the cannon hit Benj from directly below him, and ran toward him. His anger and worry built again beyond his control. Leo instantly lost control of his shift.

"RAWR!" He roared out, forgetting his assignment, team and brother. The trees annoyed him, that's all he knew. So he set out to tear out and destroy every tree insight.

* * *

><p><em>In the control room<em>

Wolverine looked down at the scene below, and noticed trees flying through the air. "Uh, Chuck. I think we have a problem."

Charles looked over to where Wolverine was. The growing destruction was heading back toward where the rest of Rogue's team was spread out.

"Chuck?" Wolverine turned to Charles, wanting permission to go down there and see what was happening. If Leo had lost control again, only Wolverine could stand up to the barrage.

"Go!"

* * *

><p>Rogue heard the crashing foliage before she saw Leo bearing down on them. When she saw him, she knew something was horribly wrong. His amber eyes were cold and filled with animal rage.<p>

"Oh, crap." She turned to the rest of her team. They saw Leo too, but hadn't quite realized yet that he wasn't mentally there.

Rogue ran at Leo, removing a glove. At least she could subdue him. She was nearly three inches from his face when he grabbed her wrist and picked her up. Growling he threw her aside. That got everyone's attention. Roberto and Sam backed up and ran toward their territory.

Wolverine burst through the trees and tackled Leo, roaring. "Elf! Get everyone out of here until Leo gets his head straight!"

Nightcrawler teleported out of there, taking some of the other students with him.

Leo tossed Wolverine off of him, flinging him against a nearby tree. Wolverine pulled himself up and brandished his claws, "Snap out of it kid!" Leo took another swing at him, but Wolverine was too small a target. He weaved inside Leo's range and kicked his stomach. Bending over, Leo growled and charged again.

Wolverine slashed at Leo's face. The claws tore through the skin over Leo's right eye. Roaring in anger and pain he wheeled around to face Wolverine.

Before he could do anything, a pale white hand reached around and touched his face. Leo felt the animal mentality being drained out of him, prior to him feeling his own consciousness slip away.

Leo moaned softly as he shifted back to his human form, his eyes rolling up into the back of his head. He collapsed forward, revealing Rogue standing behind him. The combination of both of Leo's mind and primal instincts made her head swim. She could see how he could lose control so easily.

The lion spirit inside Leo was unrestricted, and untamed.

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><p><strong>Author's note: No there's no WolverineLeo coupling. That'd be creepy. I meant that as a teacher-student/friend sorta respect/like.**

**Oh, and I'm dropping Leo's codename. In the future (maybe Haven storyline [read on to understand]) he'll be known as either just plain 'Leo' or 'Liontail'.**


	6. Haven Submission Form OCs needed

**SUBMISSIONS CLOSED! PLEASE STOP NOW! GO ON AND READ CHAPTER... UM SIX! THANKS FOR EVERYONE WHO SUBMITTED.**

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><p>This is a form for a future storyline inside my D-Factor story. I need characters now so I can start working them in (I'm writing current events at home and future while I'm away). The mutant characters you create will live in a place called the Haven, this will not be explained yet, but understand that they are not at the Xavier Institute or Brotherhood. Also the Haven has NO COMIC RELATION! If you were thinking "Hey I know the Haven, it's..." (insert comic-y thing here) "and the (superherovillian) did this and... blah blah blah", no. It's not that AT ALL. The only description I can give you now is that these mutants are teenagers-young adults ages 13-28. They can be younger but MUST have an older sibling form attached. The mutants here have criminal pasts and can be anything from "disturbing the peace" (being a mutant basically) to murder. A brief history will be needed up to the point of arrest. I will take it from there. These mutants are abandoning any family they have too. Lastly is sexual orientation, which can make some people feel uncomfortable, I get it, but I will need a variety. I have a gay OC coming into the story and I was hoping for a love interest. I'll keep you all posted on what I still need/want as time goes on.

WOW! Almost forgot, there are a few limitations on powers: NO SHAPE-SHIFTING. Mono-form (one shape) shape-shifting is allowed, your OCs can be like Leo or ...Wolfsbane? (was that her name? the girl in season two who could change into a wolf) I really want some half human/half animal shape shifting. NO MORE THAN THREE INTERRELATED POWERS. Anymore that that makes my head swim, there's no ultra-powerful mutants. NO TIME MANIPULATORS! I hope none of you would try to pull that, but still, ow my head.

I will try my best to include every OC I get, truely I will. If changes are needed I will notify you first, allowing you to make adjustments before I do.

***OC Update: (Final) I have 5 characters, a gay 17-year-old guy (love interest for my own gay character), a straight 15-year-old girl, another straight 15-year-old girl/wolf, a 9 year-old boy, and his older sister a 16 year-old lesbian, oh and a straight 16 year-old-guy.**

*X*X*X*

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><p><strong>Haven submission form:<strong>

**Real (human) name:**

**Mutant name:**

**What state are they from? (can also be from another country, but have to have moved to the USA):**

**Age:**

**Appearance (hair, eyes, height, general physical features, including physical mutations):**

**Sexual orientation (bi and questioning/confused are allowed):**

**Personality description:**

**Powers:**

**Power discovery (how'd they find out, what happened?):**

**Family?:**

**Feelings on humans:**

**Fighter/pacifist:**

**Crime committed:**

**History:**

**Do they want to be a leader? Could they even lead?**

**Weapon of choice (besides their powers, what would they use?):**

**Uniform/mutant outfit description:**

**Skills:**

**Likes:**

**Dislikes/hates:**

**Good at:**

**Bad at:**

**How do they like to spend their time? (hobbies):**

**Anything else?**

**Can I PM you if need be?**

* * *

><p>PS: I'm working hard on chapter six for you guys, but I enjoyed doing nothing too much over break. Sorry!<p> 


	7. Chapter 6: Taming Lions Part 2

**Disclaimer: The X-Men don't belong to me. They are Marvel's. The characters of Leo and Ty Dyson, and Benj Dents are mine.**

**Author's note: **Keepin' it short

Decided to keep this chapter slightly shorter because it didn't need to be long, I got enough of the story I wanted into the words I had. I left a few things to the imagination too.

**Read, enjoy, review. (and beware of were-bunnies)**

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><p>Leo stomped down the hall to his room. Frustration pulsed through his veins as he stormed to the door way. He twisted the doorknob violently, crumpling it, and threw the door open. He hastily slammed the door shut. The door hinges rattled, and the entire wall shook.<p>

His third Danger Room session had gone even worse than the first. The second had been okay, a simple hand-to-hand combat session with Cyclops, who'd whooped his butt. This one had ended terribly. Leo almost killed Ray. Again in the lion humanoid shift he submitted to animal rage and had come after Ray. He was getting tired of trying to control it whenever his emotions raged.

As a kid he never had as much trouble as he did now. Maybe it was just due to his hormones, but one way or another, there was a noticeable difference between how he handled it now.

As his frustration subsided, it left him feeling numb and empty. He sat down on his bed and held his head in his hands. Angry tears trickled down his face.

He was ashamed.

Ray really hadn't done anything; he was just in the way. It wasn't anything like the three teenagers that had sent his house up in smoke when they lived in Michigan. They deserved what happened, Ray didn't, and Leo had just barely stopped himself.

Soft footsteps attracted his attention. He looked up at his doorway. The door hung horribly askew, hanging by only one door hinge. A yellow-orange gloved hand pushed the door aside and stepped inside. She was still in her uniform too.

"Leo?" Rogue asked gently.

He turned away and quickly wiped the tears from his eyes. His voice cracked as he answered, "Y-yeah?"

"Mind if Ah come in?"

Shaking his head, he moved over so Rogue could sit next to him. "I-I didn't mean to-"

She held up her hand, "No one thinks ya did. We've all had trouble controlin' our powahs. Anyone who tells ya something diffahent is lyin'."

Leo raised an eyebrow. He found it unlikely that every one of the X-Men went through the same sort of thing.

Rogue sighed, "When mah powahs first manifested Ah was at a school dance. Ah put the guy Ah was dancin' with in a coma for a few days." She looked him in the eye. "Then when Ah absorbed Storm's powahs Ah almost killed the whole team. Latah, Ah lost control of mah powahs again. Ah couldn't keep all the minds straight inside mah head and lost it at a concert. Ah almost killed everyone, again."

He stood up and faced her. "Yeah, well that's just you. You have more than one mind in your head, it makes sense!"

She ground her teeth together, "Not just me. Scott likes ta pretend he's got everything undah control too. Why do ya think he has ta wear those glasses? Without them he would blow all of us away. Jean lost control when her powahs grew and nearly killed the professor." She snorted, "And Kitty still phases through the bed while she sleeps. Kurt can't stop being blue and fuzzy any more than the sun can stop shinin'."

"They don't have to keep a lion tamed within themselves though!"

"Beast had the same issue as ya do. He lost complete control of the beast within, but he's found a way ta be grounded." She stood up as well. When standing she was just as tall as Leo, and she met her emerald eyes with his amber ones. "Even Logan has trouble with his inner demons. Ya might say we all have our own lions ta tame."

"She's gotta point you know." A gruff voice said from the door way.

Both teens whipped their heads around. Logan leaned up against the door frame wearing his uniform.

"Why don't I show you how to tame yours?" Logan asked extending his hand.

Leo glared at him. It was a bit rude to have been eavesdropping, but he was desperate.

"Fine." He responded roughly.

* * *

><p>"Rise and shine runt!" Logan's gruff voice sounded from the door.<p>

Leo groaned and rolled over, putting his pillow over his head. Logan had decided that his lion taming would take place at five in the morning, Leo's least favorite time of day. He was a morning person, but not this much of a morning person.

In the other bed Benj picked up his pillow and threw it at Leo. "Get up! OrI'll getn one." His tongue was paralyzed with sleep.

With one last mutter of complaint, Leo jumped out of bed.

He touched the crystal on his chest lightly, causing it to glow. Ever since it'd grown on his skin he was always reassuring himself that it was there. As it glowed softly he picked up a fresh red shirt from his drawer and pulled it on.

"What do you have in mind, sir?" He asked as he closed the door to his room silently.

* * *

><p>"Hit me." Wolverine said, arms spread out. He was back to wearing the orange classic Wolverine uniform.<p>

Leo raised an eyebrow, scratching his deflated spikes out of his hair. "You want me to what?"

"Come on, give me your best shot runt." Wolverine growled.

Leo shrugged, allowing a little anger to flow through his blood in order to shift. His shoulders grew broader, soft golden fur grew all over his body, his jaw widened, and his teeth grew to sharp fangs. He extended his hands, feeling the power behind them thumping in his chest.

"You sure?"

The gruff man nodded.

Stretching his arm back he took aim at Wolverine's orange chest. A furry fist came fast and hard at his chest.

Wolverine caught the fist and twisted back his wrist. Leo shrieked and yanked his arm back.

"What the hell!" he shouted angrily.

Wolverine shook his hand and shrugged. Readjusting his gloves he said, "Try again."

Leo grimaced, sensing more pain in his future. Ignoring the guaranteed pain he swung his right arm toward Wolverine's head.

He ducked letting Leo's fist soar over his head. Leo stumbled as the force behind his swing caused him to continue spinning. A sharp pain at his back came from Wolverine's boot. Leo spun around and threw a left hook at him. Wolverine dodged again, weaving in and out of each swing he threw.

Chuckling Wolverine taunted Leo, "That all you got? I said hit me!" Leo stopped, panting. "You're going to have to let some of that beast loose to get a piece of me."

"I can't… can't do that. Don't have… enough… control." Leo gasped, clutching his side.

"Do it. I can stand up to anything you can do." Wolverine said.

Leo sighed and closed his eyes. The beast within him was clawing for a way out, and Leo let a part of it out. Roaring he jumped at Wolverine, attempting to dig his bronze claws into that annoying orange suit.

The change was notable; suddenly Wolverine was having a harder time avoiding the kid's swipes. He was beginning to grow tired, while the kid found new energy. Smiling to himself, Wolverine was glad he got to teach this kid a thing or two. One, because Leo couldn't kill him no matter how hard he tried; and two, because Leo reminded Logan of himself. It had taken a long time to tame his inner "lion".

He slipped up and let Leo get in too close. The golden lion grabbed him by the shoulders and flung him across the Danger Room. He hit the wall hard, denting the metal. Snarling Wolverine stood up to face Leo, but he was just standing there.

Leo shifted back to human and wiped a hand across his face. A crazy gleam shone in his eyes as a lunatic smile spread across his eyes. "Now THAT was fun!"

* * *

><p>"Again."<p>

Leo sighed, bending over and placing his hands on his knees. Sweat poured down his face. Wolverine was pushing him hard, daring him to lose control.

He stood next to Leo, arms crossed. "_Again_."

Leo groaned as he stood up and took his stance. His uniform was soaked through with sweat, and he had several fresh cuts and bruises on his face. He glanced over at Logan, who was standing smugly in his own uniform. He was really starting to piss Leo off.

"Computer, Leo's Run Number Two." Logan shouted. The walls of the Danger Room rumbled to life. He had spent some time coming up with the perfect training session for Leo, to push his limits of control.

Small cannon barrels pivoted out of the wall. With a whirling sound they fired baseball-sized metal balls at Leo. Breathing hard he ducked the first few, then weaved back and forth between the next wave. One was headed straight for his chest, reaching a hand up, Leo caught it and crushed it.

The metal balls started coming faster. Leo extended his claws and started slashing them out of the air. He was too tired to continue dodging. For a second, he let his guard down and a ball struck him in his shoulder.

This completely shattered his concentration. Multiple metals balls hit and bruised him all over. He fell to his knees and covered his head with his arms. One found its way between his arms and bashed him in the rib.

"Stop!" Logan growled. The cannons ceased firing.

Leo slowly stood up and glared at Logan.

"Again."

"No. Not again." Leo panted. He felt one of his ribs that was hurting a ton.

_Damn it, broken_. He thought angrily. He would heal up, sure, but in the meantime, ow!

"I'm pretty sure I have a broken rib, so let's call it a day." He grumbled to Logan.

Logan snorted, "A broken rib? That's all? You're gonna quit just because of a broken rib? You got less guts than I thought kid."

Taking a deep breath, Leo turned away from him. He was only trying to get him riled up, trying to make him lose it. This time, he wasn't going to win, Leo was. He replied while shifting back to his human form, "Yep, see you later Logan, sir." With that, he left the Danger Room.

Logan chuckled to himself, that kid had some spunk.

* * *

><p>Beast was sitting in his study, enveloped in a good book. It was nearly two in the morning. The light from the lamp next to his armchair was growing hot from being on for so long.<p>

A soft knock sounded from his door.

Beast turned around, "Come in."

The door opened silently, and in walked Leo. He was suited up in his uniform, but his hair was hanging loosely on his head. It looked like he had just finished another late-night training session with Logan. There were dark bags until his normally cheerful eyes, casting a dark shadow that seemed to extend beyond himself.

"Ah, Leo. What brings you here so early?" Beast asked.

"How do you do it?" Leo sighed.

"What?" Beast questioned, placing his book mark into his book.

Leo walked in farther and shut the door. "How do you control the beast? How do you stay so grounded?"

Beast smiled. "Shakespeare."

Leo frowned. "Shakespeare?"

"Yes, I find that his plays hold a special meaning. I like to recite them if I start to lose my head."

"…uh… So I should memorize Shakespeare, and then recite it as I lose control?" Leo laughed. "I don't think that'll work."

Beast stood up and gestured for him to sit. "Well, what do you like to do? What do you feel the most at peace doing?"

Leo thought as he sat down. He liked doing a lot of things, but one thing he could relax and focus his mind on was drawing. "I like to draw." He answered. "But how can that help me keep control?"

"Maybe when you start to feel yourself losing control you can think of sketching things." Beast suggested.

Leo closed his eyes and thought about it. Perhaps it would work; he could try it the next time with Logan. He could focus on the lines things naturally created, the smooth strokes he liked to use when sketching. Already his mind felt less at ease.

Beast stood there for about another couple minutes until he realized Leo had fallen asleep in his chair.

"Well I guess I won't be finishing that book tonight." He whispered, exiting his study and leaving Leo to dream on.

* * *

><p><strong>As of November 29, 2011 I have no OC submissions, but have a couple offers. <strong>You can either PM them to me or put them as a review. If you can't fit everything on one message, split it in two. It's fine.

***As you know, OC submissions are closed, but thanks for everyone who did. I might open them back up along the road, but if you have a REALLY good OC I suggest you use them in a story of your own. If you're thinking 'No, I don't write my own stories, I couldn't do that.' Please, try. I would love to help if need be.***

**Next chapter: The Brotherhood wasn't done in this story. They're always up to trouble. But what happens when Magneto asks them to do something?**

*****OC Update: (Final) I have 5 characters, a gay 17-year-old guy (love interest for my own gay character), a straight 15-year-old girl, another straight 15-year-old girl/wolf, a 9 year-old boy, and his older sister a 16 year-old lesbian, oh and a straight 16 year-old-guy.****


	8. Chapter 7: Letters and Trouble

**Disclaimer: The X-Men do not belong to me, at all. Leo, Benj, Ty, and Seth are mine. The future OCs I have asked for aren't mine either.**

***X*X*X***

**Author's note: Awesome job guys! We've set a new record (for this story) since I posted chapter 6, I've gotten 99 hits on D-Factor. Alright! But I think next time we can definitely break 100 hits. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed, and sent me OCs.**

**Speaking of which I will be updating what I am looking for still with OCs on every chapter (and including) after the submissions form. As I get new ones the update will change on every chapter. For a more complete update check my profile (it will have small summaries and names). So here it is:**

***OC Update: (Final) I have 5 characters, a gay 17-year-old guy (love interest for my own gay character), a straight 15-year-old girl, another straight 15-year-old girl/wolf, a 9 year-old boy, and his older sister a 16 year-old lesbian, oh and a straight 16 year-old-guy**

**Last thing with the OCs, I need to explain the difference between manslaughter and murder. Manslaughter is acidental, murder is on purpose. That's it.**

**Read and enjoy! (and review!)**

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><p><em>The Brotherhood Boarding House<em>

"Yo Lance, when are we gonna meet this girl of yours?" Toad yelled, hopping off the walls of the beat down Brotherhood Boarding House.

It was late August now, the heat was beginning to subside to a dull annoyance. Unlike August, Toad was not subsiding, but had grown into an extreme annoyance.

Lance stomped inside. He'd avoided their questions up until now. He also knew that the Brotherhood knew exactly who he was seeing on a regular basis.

"I don't know what you numbskulls are talking about." He grumbled, a convincing performance.

Pietro sped into the living room just as Lance plopped down on the couch. It was obvious he'd been on a date again, Lance was wearing jeans without holes and a button down blue shirt. "Oh come on Lance. Give up the charade. We all know you're dating Kitty."

Lance was silent. He had no need to admit anything now. If that's how Pietro wanted it then fine.

"Lance and Kitty sittin' in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Toad sang.

"Knock it off!" Lance yelled, his eyes rolling to the back of his head and the floor shaking violently.

"Aw, man!" Toad screamed, covering his head with his arms from the onset of debris falling from the ceiling.

"Lance! Do you want to bring the whole house down?" Pietro yelled above the rumbling. The shaking subsided, but Lance's irritation did not.

"Why do you care anyways?" he spat.

Pietro threw his hands up. "Because she's an X-Man, Men, Women, whatever! The enemy! When Magneto finds out about this we'll all get it."

Lance frowned and opened his mouth to say something when Wanda walked in the door.

"Wanda! Sugar-plum!" Toad called, hopping over to her.

"Uck, get away from me Toad." She said shoving him into the wall. She held a pile of letters in her hands. "Here, everyone's got mail. It's from Bayville High."

"Oh what do they want now?" The Blob grumbled as he lumbered over to his chair from the stairs.

The quickster, Pietro, snatched his letter from his sister's hands. "'Dear Pietro Maximoff,'… blah blah blah… 'We would like to invite you to return to school this semester'?" He exclaimed. "'The new principle to replace'… terdwad… 'Mr. Kelly, extends a personal welcome to the occupants of the Brotherhood Boarding House. You will be allowed three weeks of grace period, if your behavior is too severe you will be expelled again. Sincerely, the administration of Bayville High and new principle Nicholas Darth!'" He glanced around the room at the other Brotherhood's equally shocked faces. "They can't do that can they? I thought expelled meant expelled!"

"Apparently they can." Lance muttered darkly. "I say we take their invitation and make school another Hell for those X-Geeks!"

* * *

><p>Ty was sitting at the desk in his room typing up a storm. He had a deadline to meet and was getting pissed off by the errors he was getting from his code. Most were logic-errors, which drove him crazy, because that meant it was him messing up. His hands ached from typing for so long. A faint heat was being emitted from his hands, but he had gotten it under control over the past couple weeks, he was no longer in danger of melting his keyboard.<p>

Although he wasn't telling anyone he was excited for the image inducer he was supposed to be receiving. The professor was fine tuning it so Ty could look just like he did before his mutation took hold. It had been over two years since he'd saw his real face.

There was a faint knock on his door. Quickly saving his work, Ty got up and rushed to it. Kurt was standing in his doorway wearing a smile.

"Come on, Ty, the professor just finished calibrating your image inducer! Trust me, you'll love it." He finished by switching on his own hologram. Fuzzy blue Kurt was replaced by a pale, blue-black haired one.

Ty almost smiled, but then closed his mouth quickly. His grin was one full of razor sharp shark teeth, a horrifying look to him. He never realized that Kurt didn't care, Kurt was just happy to share his misery with someone else.

Emerging from his room, Ty slid the gray hood off of his head. The red horns and the rest of the top of his head shined. Kurt had jokingly given him wax, but Ty was finding that he liked it. If he could take a little pride in being a mutant he felt more alive.

Kurt and Ty walked down to Xavier's study. Inside was Forge, the slightly crazy genius, who was standing next to the professor with a screwdriver and what looked like a wristwatch in his hands.

"You must be Tyler!" he said as the pair walked in. Ty nodded. "We matched up the image inducer perfectly with the photo you gave us." He gestured to a picture lying on the professor's desk.

It was of Ty, Benj, Leo, their mother, and step-father. Leo and Benj were in the center of the picture, with a blonde-haired middle aged woman behind on the left. She had amber eyes like Leo. Although she never admitted to it, Ty was pretty sure she had been a mutant as well. Next to her was a Hispanic man with dark tan skin, dark eyes, and hair. Pablo had married their mother when Leo was three. He was the only real father Leo ever had, and the only one Ty would refer to. His eyes were crinkled from smiling so much. On the right was Tyler, before his mutation. He had been brown-haired with the same icy blue eyes. His hair was straight, and he always had worn it close to his head. His teeth in the picture were slightly pointed, a symbol of what was to come. Soon after the picture was taken he had started to rapidly loose and grow teeth. And then came the red skin, first small patches, and then his whole body. The horns had grown in shortly after, as had his tail. Ty was overly thankful that Pablo hadn't left him when his mutation came, unlike his biological father who left as soon as he saw Leo's tail.

Ty took a deep breath. He wasn't sure if he was ready to see his old face after so long.

"Well, here you go." Forge said, handing him the watch. He waited until Ty had put it on, then pointed to a side button. "This one will turn on and off the hologram. All the other buttons are for the actual watch. If the image inducer becomes uncalibrated, turn the face of the clock once. Kurt can tell you what happens if you mess with it too much." He said with a laugh.

Kurt frowned slightly and muttered, "Don't remind me."

Ty pressed the on/off button. The air around him seemed to buzz slightly, and the light bent to form a hologram. Where a red demon had stood a second before, now stood a young man with light brown hair and similar features to the woman in the photo.

He looked down at his hands, they were completely not red. That's all he cared about really, the claw-like nails he could've dealt with.

The professor rolled up to him and handed him a mirror. "Well what do you think Tyler?" he asked.

Ty inhaled sharply. He looked just like the man in the photo, the man that was no longer him. But now, now he could go outside without be mocked, shunned, or persecuted. He was able to do everything he'd missed out on the past two years he'd lived in seclusion in their house in Michigan. He could attend meetings of the board of programmers finally. They could see his real face again, instead of him having to act like he was sick, or call and be the man on the speaker phone. Everything he'd missed in life over the past two years he could make up for.

"It's… it's amazing professor" he said, cracking a faint smile. He turned to Kurt. "Let's go out somewhere. I haven't been open in public for two years."

Kurt smiled. "Great! I was going to see a movie with Rogue and Benj, you can come with!"

Ty followed him out of the study after thanking the professor and Forge multiple times.

Charles chuckled, it was times like this that he felt the X-Men were making a real difference.

* * *

><p>"Hey guys! There's letters for everyone from school!" Bobby yelled to the mansion. Beast had just brought in the mail, which consisted of… many letters.<p>

A puff of smoke appeared next to Bobby, and Kurt and Leo came out of the dispersing cloud.

"School? Does it have our classes?" Leo wondered aloud.

"Who knows," Kurt said, grabbing his. More X-Men came filing out of the several hallways leading to the entrance hall. Bobby threw the other letters on a table to the side and ripped his open.

"Yep, it's got our schedules in here alright. Aw, man I got Mr. Fredrickson for English! There goes my chance of passing." He sighed, waving his schedule in the air.

Kurt glanced at his, then noticed the second sheet of paper inside the envelope. "Vat's this?" All the other X-Men had grabbed their letters by now. "Guys! Listen up!" he shouted. Everyone stopped.

"Did anyone else get this second sheet?" there was some murmuring as the others found the other piece of paper. "'Dear students,'" Kurt read aloud. "'The administration of Bayville High regrets to inform you that your principal, Mr. Kelly, has resigned to pursue his political career. The following is a message from your new principal, Mr. Nicholas Darth:

"'Hello, I am pleased to join you for this new school year. Following my predecessor I have decided to make some changes. Bayville High will be a model school this year, discrimination of _any_ kind _will not_ be tolerated. As such a few new rules are being put into play. All sports teams will be required to have at least one mutant team mate, who must in turn agree to a no-powers contract. We will keep competition fair and diverse. Secondly bullying of any kind due to mutation, non-mutation, religion, sexual orientation, race, or the like will be met with the most severe punishments. This high school is where it started, and we will be a model school. Anyone who cannot abide by these rules will be asked to transfer.

'Sincerely Your New Principal,

'Nicholas Darth'" Kurt finished. There were several moments of silence.

"Nicholas Darth? Who the heck is that?" Rogue asked. This was going to be her senior year. "Ah mean Ah'm fine that Kelly's outah there but, Ah'm not sure if the othah human students will enjoy his new rules." She had a point.

Leo shrugged, he was as usual wearing a red sleeveless shirt, khaki shorts, and a shark tooth necklace. "I don't care too much. At my last school I got picked on pretty badly. I wasn't allowed on the soccer team after they found out I was a mutant." His face darkened for a second. His mind was flashing back to all the times jocks had stuffed him in lockers, trashcans, and tubas. He thought that he was a part of the band, and the soccer team but when it really counted they left him out in the cold. He snarled.

Benj put a hand on his shoulder, "Relax, remember, we're starting fresh here." He gestured to the X-Men, "And this time we have friends who will back us up."

"That's right!" Kurt said. "Now let's see who you guys have this year." Kurt took Leo's schedule, "Junior year and you're taking biology?"

Leo shrugged, he'd held off taking Biology until his last two years so he could pursue a career in the Biology field. "Why not?"

"Well, at least you got the good biology teacher."

* * *

><p><em>The Brotherhood Boarding House<em>

The Brotherhood guys were fighting about returning to school. Lance was all for it, for two reasons: One, he got to rub it in the X-Men's faces, and two, because he got to be with Kitty more that way. Pietro, on the other hand, was not about to head back to school. He didn't think they should give in.

As the argument escalated into shouts, the front door knob turned. All argument stopped.

The door flew open and in walked Magneto.

Wanda stood up, "Father?"

He walked into the living room wearing a suit and tie. It was completely bizarre. "Hello, my Brotherhood." Magneto said, smiling.

"Magneto? What are you doing here?" Lance asked carefully.

"I have a job for you."

Pietro ran a hand threw his white hair, "Just what kind of job?"

* * *

><p>"Yo, I can't believe all Magneto wanted us to do was check out our new principal!" Toad whined as he and Quicksilver watched the man leave the school building.<p>

Pietro was twice as pissed off. First because Magneto hadn't made contact with them for weeks, second because he asked them to follow the new principal Darth around, and thirdly because he gave the job of messing with the X-Men to Lance! He, Blob, and Wanda were guaranteed to already be making trouble at the abandoned mall. And Pietro loved giving the stupid X-Men a hard time.

"I mean what does he expect us to find out? The man is ten time more boring than a can of soup!" Toad grumbled on.

"A can of soup? Really Toad? In what world does that make sense?" Pietro asked. Toad shrugged and went back to trying to catch the fly buzzing around his head.

Pietro sighed, and watched the new principal get into his car. The man had jet black hair that was buzzed close to his head, eerie purple colored eyes, and a faded blue wavy scare that ran over his left eye. His suit was the same jet black as his hair, and he wore a silver tie.

Quicksilver and Toad were on top of the school building dressed in everyday clothes. As Darth got into his car he looked straight at them and waved. Quicksilver's jaw almost dropped to the ground.

"He knew we were here the whole time! How the hell did he know?" He cried, kicking Toad.

"Ow, ow, ow!" Toad yelled, clutching his bruised leg. "How am I supposed to know?"

Darth's car began to pull out of the parking lot. "Come on Toad, we better follow him."

* * *

><p>Things had settled back down at the Xavier Institute. The teens were comparing schedules and playing video games, trying to squeeze in as much free time as they could before school started.<p>

Ty was proving himself to be a gaming expert. Bobby invited him to play Call of Battle with him, Ray, and Sam. Ty was whooping all of their butts at the same time.

"Aw, man! That's the fifth time ya've killed me!" Sam whined meekly. They had just started a second round of player vs. player combat, and it was only forty-five seconds into the game.

Ty shrugged as his character on screen took aim at Bobby's.

"Nnoooooooooooo!" Bobby yelled. "I had a 10-hit killing streak! Aw, now I have to start all over!"

Leo chuckled from the side of the couch. "You wanted him to play with you icicle, and you got it."

"I play winner!" A higher pitched voice said, Jamie.

"No way, Jamie, this game is far too advanced for your mind." Bobby said.

"No, wait." Ty said. "Jamie, you can take my controller. I've got a deadline to meet anyways."

Bobby complained loudly at first, but the red-skinned mutant got up and walked away anyways.

'_X-Men, I need to see Scott, Jean, Rogue, Kitty, Kurt, and Bobby down in Cerebro. Now. The Brotherhood is causing trouble again.'_ The professor's mental voice rang out.

"All right! Goin' on a mission" Bobby cheered as he threw his controller to Leo.

* * *

><p>The old abandoned mall was to the west of the Institute on the very outskirts of town. After the Bayville mall had opened this one lost all its customers to the newer mall.<p>

The X-Van pulled up to the cracked pavement parking lot. The X-Men filed out of the van and looked around.

"Why would the Brotherhood want to cause trouble here?" Nightcrawler asked, gesturing around to the abandoned building. Weeds grew up through the cracks in the ground, and tall grass had taken root everywhere.

Across the parking lot sitting on a huge broken chunk of cement was the Brotherhood. Avalanche grinned smugly and stood up from his seat on the cement.

"Well look who it is, the X-Geeks. I heard you got some new recruits! I was hopin' to meet them, maybe show them that they made the wrong choice!" He yelled as he took a stance and held his hand out. The ground began to shake violently, buckling and heaving under the X-Men's feet.

Most of the X-Men stumbled back, but Nightcrawler used his agility to hope over the pulsing ground to tackle Avalanche. Instantly the ground settled down.

"X-Men, go!" Cyclops shouted. He sent an optic blast toward The Blob, but Wanda's hands glowed blue and she deflected it.

"Gonna hafta do better than that Summers!" Blob yelled, rushing toward him. He raised a massive fist and tried to bring it down on Cyclops' head. He dodged to the side and blasted Blob from behind. The energy's impact sent the giant teen flying through the air.

Iceman created a wall of ice for Blob to smash through, hoping to knock him out. Instead Blob's flight was ended early, and the ice fell around him.

Avalanche finally managed to throw Nightcrawler off of him, and he sent a fissure toward Cyclops. Scott still had his attention focused on Blob who was shaking of ice shards from Iceman's wall. Suddenly the ground gave out beneath him and his leg fell into a rapidly growing crack.

"Watch where you step Summers!" Avalanche taunted.

"Ah'd say the same to ya, Lance."

He whirled around and came face-to-face with Rogue and Shadowcat. "Rogue!" He extended his hand again, but this time Rogue grabbed him and flipped him over. He landed hard on a large piece of upturned cement.

"Lance, like what the hell are you doing?" Kitty said with a dangerous edge.

Before he could answer, a blue light hit Rogue square in the chest.

The Scarlet Witch and Jean had been fighting for several minutes, but Wanda had succeeded in subduing Jean by trapping her beneath a slab of concrete. She was now moving on to Rogue.

Rogue groaned, then got up and ran at Wanda. Since Rogue had no powers that the witch could exploit easily, the fight became hand-to-hand combat.

Kitty turned back to Lance, who was draped on a block of concrete. "What are you doing here?" She growled.

He shook his head. "Kitty, I-I uh…"

"Oh you idiot," Kitty whispered, and left him laying on the hard concrete to free Jean.

Rogue took off one of her gloves, and was trying to get in close enough to touch Wanda. Not that she really wanted the girl inside her head again, but the fight was getting dragged out. She dodged blue streaks of energy, and swung her fists at Wanda.

Rogue at last caught Wanda with a kick in the stomach, causing the witch to buckle over. Taking her opportunity, Rogue placed her bare hand on Wanda's face.

A surge of life force syphoned from Wanda into Rogue. She scanned the battlefield. Lance was still laying on the concrete, she was starting to suspect that she'd injured him; and Cyclops, Bobby and Nightcrawler were facing off with The Blob. In the corner of her eye she saw Shadowcat phasing through a piece of concrete that had trapped Jean.

"Alright," she said frustrated, "Ah'm tired of this." She held her hands out and used Wanda's powers to encase Blob in blue light. He yelled in anger as she lifted him up and flung him across the parking lot and into the run-down mall.

"Alright, Lance. Why were ya and ya stupid team here?" She asked angrily. "And more importantly, where are Toad and Quicksilvah?"

Lance groaned as he turned toward her. With a second look Rogue could now see that his knee was twisted. "How should I know? Magneto gave us our assignments."

"Gawd, Lance, your leg." Rogue sighed. "Ya can come back to the Institute if ya need ta."

Lance scrunched up his face in a mix of pain and disgust. "I'd rather face Magneto."

The other X-Men walked over.

"Has anyone else noticed that Quicksilver and Toad are missing?" Kurt asked.

* * *

><p>The last rays of light stretched over the downtown of Bayville. Toad sat on top of a bell tower atop of a church. His beady red eyes were focused on a pitch black car in the midst of traffic. He turned on his comm-link.<p>

"Yo, Pietro. I got a visual on our new principal's car." He said into the mike. "I'm gonna start tailin' it."

"Bzzzt- Roger that Toad, I'll follow it from the street." A white blur sped through the diminishing crowds on the sidewalk.

The traffic light changed to green, allowing the principal's car to continue on. Toad hopped from rooftop to rooftop, alongside the black car. On the sidewalk below Pietro would run a little ways then pose casually and get another view of the car.

The chase continued for nearly another twenty minutes, it seemed that Principal Darth was taking every twist and turn he could. He had led the two Brotherhood boys in circles, but they didn't give up the chase.

Pietro stopped again and watched as the car turned a corner down an alley that he knew was a dead end.

"Finally!" He exclaimed, speeding around the corner. Magneto had given him specific instructions on what to do when they caught up. Pietro's old man had his suspicions.

As he turned the corner he came to a screeching halt. He was staring at an empty blank wall at the end of the alley. There was no car in sight.

"What the hell?" He yelled. Toad dropped down from the rooftop above.

"What are we stoppin' for?" He asked. "Did you lose the car?"

Pietro gestured angrily at the alley. "The car is GONE!"

* * *

><p>The Brotherhood had returned to the Brotherhood Boarding House. Spirits were incredibly low.<p>

Lance had his leg propped up on the coffee table. As much as he didn't want to, he still had needed the X-Men to take a look at his leg. Rogue had twisted his knee when she flipped him. It wasn't too serious, he just needed a brace, but it was humiliating being beaten by the X-Men and then he had to ask for help from them.

"Well that could've gone better." Lance grumbled.

"No kidding," Pietro and Wanda said together.

"Actually," a deep voice said. Magneto strolled in the room, wearing a gray suit and red tie. "everything went according to plan."

* * *

><p><strong>Ooooh! Foreshadowing! Tune in next time. And yes of course there will be Darth Vader jokes coming. I'll be taking a short writing break due to projects and finals that threaten to kill me. (YAY!)<strong>


	9. Chapter 8: Soft Spot

Disclaimer: The X-Men are not mine, they're Marvels. By now you should know which characters are mine.

**Author's note: Stupid finals.**

I _hate_ finals, but more I hate school projects. Oh well, it took a while but I finally pulled through this chapter. The interview at the beginning is too short but I couldn't give away too much about Principal Darth yet. We are getting closer to the Haven story line, but not there quite yet. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed (especially consistant reviewers magicrazy101 and San child of the wolves) and I would love to see more of you there. School is on the horizon for the X-Men so let's dive into their new principal...

Oh and I've actually decided to do something about Benj and Rogue's possible relationship. You can see it in this chapter expand. Don't be angry "Romy" fans (uck... couple names) he's meantioned but remember, in Evolution, Rogue had little feelings for him anyways.

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>"We're reporting to you live from the office of Bayville High's new principal, Mr. Nicolas Darth." A blonde female reporter said in a cheery voice. She sat in an office chair next to Mr. Darth beside his desk. Darth was wearing a jet black suit with a lavender dress shirt and deep purple tie.<p>

After taking over for Kelly, Principal Darth had redecorated the interior of the office. He removed the oak desk and replaced it with his own ebony one, as well as his own chairs. The room had a darker feel to it, but so did the new principal. His desk was neat and orderly, but had several trinkets along the far side, including a miniature skull.

The camera wheeled to face Darth, he smiled warmly.

The news investigator began her questioning. "So Mr. Darth, why did you decide to take this job?"

The students and teachers of the Xavier Institute were crowded around the televisions all over the house. Even Scott and Jean were interested in the new principal. The Brotherhood was also tuned into the news program, curious of the man who lost them downtown and invited them to return to school.

The golden rays of light reaching in the tall windows glinted off Darth's purple eyes and light blue scar. "Well, I had been following the school's progress since the initial mutant incident. As I understand it, the school has received quite a bit of publicity, not always positive." Darth's voice was smooth and glossy, seeming to sweeten everything he said. "But I wanted to change that. I was praised highly at my last administration job, and before that was a history teacher. I felt that I would be a good fit to this school."

"You've made it known that your intent on mutant equality. Where did you develop these feelings?" The news woman asked.

Darth's left eye twitched, then he answered. "I'm not a fan of any sort of inequality. It's not just toward mutants, but I suppose I have a soft spot for them. My daughter is a mutant."

The news woman paused, nervously looking down at her question sheet. She coughed, "Your daughter… is a mutant?"

"Yes, but she's not my only child. Every student of mine has been like a son or daughter to me. I would hate to see one of them treated unfairly due to appearance, abilities, beliefs, or customs. High school has enough difficulties, there's no reason more should be added to them."

The news woman nodded, and turned to the camera, "Well there you have it. Mr. Darth will also be having a questions and answers session for curious parents and students tonight."

The screen blacked out and returned to the news station. "Thank-you Mary for that in depth look at our area's newest principal. Next will be-" _Zzzink_.

Rogue stood up with the remote in her hand. The students in the Rec Room looked at her expectantly, but she said nothing. Throwing the remote to Kurt she walked out of the room. Benj rose with a peculiar look on his face and followed her out.

All eyes turned to the professor. He was watching the pair exit with an eyebrow arched. When he realized everyone was watching him expectantly he coughed quietly, "Hem- Well I think I would like to meet this new principal in person."

* * *

><p>Rogue wasn't really sure why she had walked out. It was just a quick impulse she didn't even think about. She paused in front of her door.<p>

"Rogue!" A voice yelled behind her. It was Benj. He ran up to her and stopped. He was wearing a dark green t-shirt and black athletic shorts, as well as his rough padded gloves. He brushed the hair out of his eyes and began talking, "Why'd you leave so suddenly?" Benj asked in a breathless and sweet tone.

Rogue shrugged her shoulders, "Ah don't really know…" She turned to face him and leaned against her door. Benj's cheeks flushed a little. "It was just a sorta impulse Ah got. There's something about that new principal… Ah just can't put my fingah on it…" She trailed off.

The blonde teen rubbed the back of his neck and avoided her eyes. He got a similar feeling of Principal Darth, but it was a bit more hopeful. Finally there seemed to be someone in authority on mutants' side.

"I don't know, Rogue. I think he seems pretty cool." He said, still avoiding the beautiful green eyes of Rogue. His crush on the slightly older mutant was growing every day. He figured it had to do with the swagger she had. Rogue had a type of confidence that Benj often wished he had, and the fierceness of a lioness (as Leo liked to say).

Rogue raised an eyebrow as Benj seemed to zone out, staring at the floor. The new mutant was always finding new ways of surprising her and the older mutants at the Institute. He was progressing rapidly with his powers, having just the day before succeeded in changing the air around them into a thick fog. He was doing tremendously well in Danger Room sessions. He, Leo, and Ty were surpassing the younger mutants (the "new mutants").

Whenever she talked to him one-on-one he acted like himself, but when more people were added in he seemed more timid but even more desperate for her attention. Although he denied it, Benj had left her flowers a few days ago, after she saved his butt during a Danger Room session. Then he started wearing those gloves. She was pretty sure he did it for her, like if she had to stay covered, he'd do so too (in a way). Like sympathy gloves.

She had a feeling the kid had a crush on her, but was unwilling to do anything about it. Rogue didn't want his crush on her to be anything like her crush on Scott. Scott was oblivious that Rogue had any feelings toward him. As smart as the visor-wearing mutant was, he was an idiot when it came to relationships.

Rogue wanted to return some of Benj's feelings, but she felt it would be unfair. Benj definitely deserved something more than she could offer. He appeared to be okay with it, but Rogue would never accept that. She just couldn't do that to the blonde teen.

And then there was the whole thing with Gambit. Rogue didn't like to think about that incident tooo much. Despite how it turned out in the end, he had still used her. The man was charming, she'd give him that; but he'd charmed his way into a lot of beds and Rogue wanted him _NOWHERE_ near hers.

Benj stifled a laugh as the last thought went through her head.

She glared at him in a mix of mock and true anger, "Ya sneaky demon! Ya were in mah head!" She yelled, cracking into a smile.

Benj smiled sheepishly "Sorry, just curious."

"Oh, yeah? Are ya curious about mah fist too?" Rogue's voice dripped with sarcasm as she swung her fist at Benj. He stepped back, letting the gloved hand graze his cheek. His turquoise eyes glimmered playfully.

"Oh? So that's how you want it southern gal? _¡Vamos!_ " He taunted, bouncing lightly on his toes.

Rogue launched herself at him. She swung punches and kicked out but never touched him. She wasn't trying very hard to. He ducked and dodged everything she threw at him, entering into a dangerous but light-hearted dance.

Down the hall the two of them fought; then when Benj ran up the beige wall and landed behind her they continued on in the other direction.

Rogue was careful to watch Benj's breathing as he dodged and blocked her strikes. She knew that his asthma was easily triggered and was anxious to cause him to have an attack. He may be able to control the air around him, but had no control over that in his lungs.

Benj caught the next punch in his gloved hands and paused, his breathing a little ragged. Rogue stopped, seeing the panic beginning to creep into his eyes. His lungs were constricting, slowly but surely. As his chest tightened more, Benj fished in his long pockets for the little silver canister. He let go of Rogue's hand and rested an arm against the wall. Taking slow breaths he tried to calm his breathing on his own. Every breath made a raspy sound as it entered his lungs.

Rogue put a hand on his back as he straightened himself up. He placed the inhaler to his lips and pressed the release. He breathed in two puffs then stopped. The lungs in his chest expanded and he felt much better.

"I think... I won." He gasped.

Rogue frowned, "Ah think ya're confused, Benj."

He smirked. "Am I? Last I checked, you were attacking me, but now that you've stopped… I've won." He started walking down the hallway to the stairs.

"Oh no!" She called after him. "Ya haven't won anything. But if ya're so keen on provin' ya can beat me, why don't we ask to use the Danger Room for our next fight?" Now it was her turn to smirk. She crossed her arms as Benj turned around in mock horror.

"You wouldn't!"

"Ah would."

Benj threw his hands up in surrender. "Fine, fine. Let's call it a draw."

* * *

><p>Leo was watching Amara and Tabatha at the mansion's pool. He wasn't trying to be a stalker, but sometimes an artist had to stalk. Wearing a white sleeveless shirt and red swim trunks, he sat on a chair at the edge of the pool sketching the two girls. He was finding Tabatha's hair to be both challenging and fun, not unlike her. She was a pain to work with in Danger Room sessions, but a joy to hang around otherwise. Everything was some sort of pleasure trip to her. One of the last training sessions went a little like this:<p>

"_We have to cross the finish line!"_

"No problem, let's blow things up! "

"_No Tabatha, CROSS the finish line. "_

"Oh, you take things too seriously."

"_Too seriously? That's the assignment!"_

Leo couldn't figure out why a girl like Tabatha would be friends with a shy girl like Amara. They seemed almost opposites but were the best of friends. He just couldn't quite understand it.

The teen went back to sketching, his hand almost a blur against the pale white surface of his paper. The pencil made smooth strokes as he drew the girls sitting with their legs in the pool. His eyes were focused completely on the drawing expanding from his hand.

"Hey there, kitten. Whatcha drawing?" Tabatha asked from right beside his ear.

He jumped up and nearly stumbled into the pool. Flailing his arms like an idiotic bird he caught himself and glared at the spikey haired mutant.

"Not funny Tabs." He growled.

"What? Shouldn't a girl know when a guy is stalking her?" She teased, sitting in his chair.

"No, actually that's the point of stalking. And I wasn't stalking you either." He replied.

"Well you should at least let a girl know. That way she can show an artist more… interesting features."

Leo shook his head trying to get that image out of his mind.

Amara walked up behind him. "Although I disagree with that last point, you should at least warn us."

Leo turned and bowed, "_Lo siento, senorita_. Maybe you would like to see what I've been working on then?"

"Yeah sure." She answered.

He held out his sketch proudly. Amara gently took it and examined it. Her face flushed slightly, and she grinned. "Wow, this is beautiful."

He leaned in, "I only draw the truth, you know." He said quietly.

She turned to him, about to say something when the professor's thoughts sliced through.

'_All students and teachers I would like to see you in the common room._' The professor's mental voice said.

"Well, you can't argue with that." Leo grumbled, heading into the mansion.

* * *

><p>"What's up professor?" Scott asked as the last few students trailed into the common room.<p>

"As you all know, there is a question and answer session with your new principal tonight. I would like you all to be there." Professor X replied.

Leo raised his hand in question. "Uh, is this just a 'let's see what he has to say' or a 'make sure no one dies' sorta obligation?" Other students nodded as he flicked his tail nervously. He wasn't comfortable being in a crowd of potentially angry humans.

"Both." Xavier responded. "And that's why Forge is here with some new communicators." He gestured behind him to the inventor. "We need to make sure this remains peaceful."

"Alright, can I have a volunteer?" Forge asked, rubbing his hands together. The mutants shuffled their feet, reluctant to be some sort of guinea pig. Suddenly Ray sprang forward. He glared back at Benj, who was standing behind him. "Alright! Now come here Berserker. Great. These communicators," he held up something small and metallic. It was about the size of a blue tooth. "are state of the art. I customized each one to react with your powers without exploding or sustaining damage," he turned and looked at Rogue. "Sorry, Rogue. Yours was the only one I couldn't configure that way. There are just too many possibilities to factor, so be careful." He whirled around to face Ray. "Now take Ray for example. However unlikely, he could cause an electric spark to hit his communicator while he's wearing it. Instead of blowing-up or shorting out his communicator is shock-proof, so it won't." He held up Ray's communicator again, which had a little blue lightning bolt on the side. "Now, Ray, take this and try to shock it."

Ray nodded. After taking the ear piece he allowed electricity to spark and leap from his fingers and onto the device. The blue sparks clung for a second then seemingly jumped off.

"See? No damage what-so-ever." Forge said proudly. "They can also connect to single devices without the rest of us hearing the conversation. Say I just wanted to talk to Ray over the communicators. I would take my communicator." He picked up a bronze-colored ear-piece with an etched hammer on the side and stuck it into his ear. He gestured for Ray to do the same then continued, "then say 'Forge to Berserker'." There was a slight buzzing. "You can't really tell but now whatever I said over the communicator would go straight to Ray, and not to anyone else. When you use this function you have to use codenames or it won't work. Now, for Jean you just say Jean, and Leo, since you elect to abandon your codename most of the time, I set it to respond to just 'Leo'. Are there any questions?" Forge asked. Everyone shook their head. "Groovy, now you guys can come up and get your new communicators."

There was a surge forward as everyone jumped up to grab theirs.

"Everybody, please quiet down." The professor shouted above the ruckus. "I want everyone to sit in groups of at least two in case of trouble, but try to spread out. We want to gage the response of the crowd."

As the mutants began to disperse, Charles made mental contact with Logan and Rogue.

'_Logan, Rogue, I want you two to be by Leo. Just in case…'_

'_In case he loses control, no problem professor.'_ Rogue answered back.

'_Let's hope he doesn't Chuck. Nothing would wreck this thing more than a mutant attack.' Logan thought gruffly._

'_Agreed.'_

* * *

><p><em>The Brotherhood Boarding House<em>

Lance sat strumming his guitar on the couch as Blob stared blankly at the TV screen. As usual, nothing was happening. Pietro sped into the room suddenly and glared at the two with his mouth open.

"What are you two doing just sitting there?" He yelled throwing his arms up. "Aren't you coming to that new principal thing?"

Lance lazily rolled his head to look at him. "Why would we? I have no interest in Darth; we'd probably be wastes of space there."

Pietro opened his mouth to speak when Magneto walked up behind him (he was starting to do that a lot). "You will come because I said so."

Lance bolted upright and threw his guitar aside. Blob tore himself away from the TV as well.

"Yes sir." Lance said nervously, standing up.

* * *

><p>The session was being held in the school auditorium. Already, thirty minutes before it was scheduled to start a huge crowd was gathering. The X-Men arrived in a variety of vehicles. Scott packed five others into his red car, and Charles had driven the X-Van. That hadn't been quite enough so Jean drove her SUV, Logan took his bike, and Leo rode the black with green accents motorcycle the Dysons had brought with them. Once at school the group rejoined then split into smaller groups.<p>

Inside the auditorium the X-Men spread out and secured their communicators. Logan, Leo, Benj, and Rogue sat on the left side and everyone else placed themselves randomly in the quickly diminishing available seats.

Magneto and the Brotherhood crept in the back and filled the back row.

"Hey, Benj." A scratchy voice said from the aisle. It was Vince, the short-haired teenage skater. "Don't mind if I sit by you do you?" He asked. Benj shook his head.

"Nah, man. Go straight ahead." Benj replied.

Vince sat in the open seat to the left of Benj. He pointed to the silver communicator in his ear; his had a symbol that looked like a gust of wind. "What's up with the blue tooth man?"

"Err… a gift from the professor." He lied.

"Cool." Vince said.

The noise in the auditorium grew to a loud rumble. Finally Principal Darth walked onto the stage. The noise died down and the news crews in the auditorium turned their cameras to the stage.

He stopped in front of the podium. "Thank you all of you for coming tonight. Hopefully this will clear up any confusion and questions. Just raise your hand and I'll call on you. It'll be just like high school." He laughed.

Several adults raised their hands in the audience. Darth pointed to a business man with brown hair.

"I have a question about the sports program. How will you be able to ensure the mutants don't use their powers?"

"Each player will have to sign a no-power agreement-"

"But how will you guarantee they will hold it true?" The man interrupted.

Darth's eye twitched in annoyance of being interrupted. "As I was saying, they will have to describe their abilities. From there we will be able to tell if they're using them. If they do use them I will decide on the consequences."

The man sat down, and another person expressed a complaint.

"What about if a mutant loses control of their powers? Dangerous out-of-control mutants shouldn't be allowed on campus! Also how can you be sure they really lost control and didn't just purposely use their powers?"

"Mutants without control are always a problem. We don't have a solution to this yet, but I am making arrangements." Darth replied. His face darkened, "And for your last question, I will be the judge on if they lost control."

An angry looking man stood and yelled at the principal, "Why are you even allowing mutants in the school? They are nothing but trouble makers and freaks! I for one would never send my kid to a school alongside mutants!"

Mr. Darth didn't yell back. Instead he took a deep breath and answered calmly. "Are you old enough to remember segregation? If not, let me explain. It was a time when black and other colored people were not allowed to go to the same places, do the same things, or eat the same food as whites. It was terrible. It broke the country apart and took strong men and women to abolish it." He looked out into the audience. "Maybe some of you 'colored people' out there can remember a time when a white man or woman came up to you and said 'move' and you were expected to do so. Maybe you knew people who were persecuted because of their skin color. If the Civil Rights movement isn't your style, let's go back a bit to the Holocaust." Magneto in the back tensed. "Jews were slaughtered merely because of their religion. Do we want it to be like this with mutants?" He paused. "A few months ago I heard a speech given in this very room about why mutants should attend school here. The young mutant who gave it was smart and intelligent; she was even on the soccer team here. She pointed out that lots of people have the Advanced X Gene. Some of your children might even develop it, and would you want them to be treated unfairly?" He paused again. "You probably don't even realize this but there are many mutants among us right now." The X-Men all tensed in their seats, as did the Brotherhood. "You there." Mr. Darth called, pointing straight at Logan.

"Uh oh…" Leo muttered.

"Sir, do you realize that sitting to your right is a mutant?" Darth asked Logan.

Logan turned his head to look at the girl next to him. He was glad Darth hadn't said left, because that was Rogue and she didn't want any attention drawn to herself. Next to Logan sat a teenage girl about the age of seventeen. She had dirty blonde hair that hung straight down to her shoulders, and startling neon green eyes. She wore a gray and tan striped fitted T-shirt and jean shorts. The girl stood, revealing herself to the rest of the crowd.

"That, ladies and gentlemen, is my daughter, Claire." Darth's voice was filled with pride. He looked back at Logan. "Did you realize what she was, sir?"

Logan snorted, "No, and I hang around teenage mutants every day!"

Darth smiled. "See? It is almost impossible to tell a mutant from an average human. Any more questions?"

Magneto stood in the back and raised a hand. Darth pointed to him. "Yes, how will you punish students who use their powers?"

Mr. Darth frowned slightly, "Not punish, discipline. It depends on the student and how many times they have inappropriately used their powers. I believe that different types of discipline can have a profound effect on different students. One might respond well to detention, while another might need to do custodial work to get the point."

"I see…" Magneto answered. "And if a threat is made on a mutant by a human?"

"I will deal with that severely. Any form of threat will not be tolerated and the one who threatened, human or not, will most likely receive suspension or worse." Darth growled, losing his typically sweet tone.

"That's all I wanted to know." Magneto said, sitting down.

"More questions?" Mr. Darth asked, many hands shot up. The night continued on in similar fashion with no incident.

* * *

><p>As the X-Men left the building to return to their vehicles, one question still lingered on their minds.<p>

How would it really be once school started up?

* * *

><p><strong>So what'd ya think?<strong> This whole chapter I was aching for a chance to quote Starfire from Teen Titans. I really wanted to quote her last line from the episode Troq where she speaks out against persecution and racism. But alas (earwax) I could not, but hopefully I will find a place in a future chapter.

Also sorry that I still haven't revealed all of the Dysons' and Benj's past, it's coming don't worry.

Again be prepared for a writing lull. It's CHRISTmas! YAY! And New Year's and Hanukah. I will probably be reading other fanfictions and Eragon the rest of break. (speaking of which, I found magicrazy101's Outcast's Acceptance to be very entertaining. I hope you update soon!)

***OC Update: (Final) I have 5 characters, a gay 17-year-old guy (love interest for my own gay character), a straight 15-year-old girl, another straight 15-year-old girl/wolf, a 9 year-old boy, and his older sister a 16 year-old lesbian, oh and a straight 16 year-old-guy.**


	10. Chapter 9: First Day

**Disclaimer: The X-Men do not belong to me, they belong to Marvel. You know my characters, now meet another Enrique Oculto.**

**Author's note: **HA! I DID IT! Yeah, lo hice!

I finally finished chapter nine. Sure it's late but hey, I got it up. Thanks for the reviews and OCs, but I'm sad to say I am closing the OC submissions. I'm too close to the Haven storyline to continue to receive your great characters. Speaking of which, San child of the wolves, pay close attention to Enrique. If you want to see who made the cut check out my profile.

The chapter's a bit longer than usual, but don't worry it's good. Also if the story randomly jumps, I'm trying to fix that. The editor ate part of my story.

Enjoy my friends.

* * *

><p>Beep. Beep. Beep beep beep. BEEP BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP! BE-zt.<p>

Leo slammed his hand down on the alarm clock.

It was the first day of school, a new beginning. And if Leo didn't get up soon, he'd never wake up Benj. Sighing Leo rolled out of bed and onto the floor. The minor pain brought him to his senses.

He sprung up and threw on a red T-shirt and khaki shorts. He looked over his shark tooth necklaces and selected one he painted bronze. Little did anyone know the shark teeth were really Tyler's, but hey, no one needed to know.

Leo turned to Benj with a smirk on his face. "Benj! Get your ass up!" He roared.

Benj rolled over lazily and glared at him with one eye half open. "My assisp erfect lyhap pyhere." He mumbled.

His brother shook his head and grabbed one end of the bed. "I'm gonna flip you bro." Leo warned. "Get up now or forever be in pain."

Groaning, Benj sat up a little then flopped back down_. __"No me gustan las mañanas." _(I don't like mornings)

"_Yo sé, pero_… you have to get up!" With that Leo lifted the mattress up and flipped Benj onto the floor.

"Oof." Benj complained when he hit the floor. "_No me gusta tú."_ (I don't like you) He grumbled.

"Awww, love you too, brother." Leo said in a false caring tone.

Benj scrambled out from underneath the upturned mattress and walked over to the closet. He hastily grabbed a green striped shirt and a pair of jeans. He flung them on quickly and blasted a jet of air through his hair.

"Who needs combs." He said, grabbing his gloves and walking out the door.

Chuckling Leo gelled up his hair into spikes and ran down to the kitchen.

If they thought breakfast was chaotic normally, this was a whole new meaning to the word.

Students threw milk cartons, juice jugs, and bread through the air to each other. Plates, glasses, and silverware clanged noisily, hurting Leo's sensitive ears.

With a quick glance at each other, Benj and Leo jumped into the fray.

Someone bumped Jamie and the kitchen was suddenly filled with a bunch of Jamie copies.

"Oh, man Jamie! Watch where you're going!" Bobby yelled.

Leo grabbed a trail mix bar and sat down at the large table. He scarfed it fast then grabbed an apple from the bowl in the center of the table. Benj sat down next to him with a charred piece of toast.

"Dude?" Leo laughed at the dismal looking toast.

Benj sighed. "Ray got a little frustrated with the toaster and…" he held up his toast. "BLAM! Dead toast for me."

Leo laughed and tossed a banana to him. "Don't eat the fire starter. Just go with fruit."

"You drivin' today?" Benj questioned through a mouth-full of banana.

"Sure, as long as Ty's not taking the truck to work." Leo answered, sinking his teeth into the red apple.

Benj blinked. He'd completely forgotten Ty was actually going to work now. Speaking of forgotten…

"Damn it." He groaned, slapping his forehead.

"What?"

"I forget my inhaler in our room."

"No problem buddy!" Kurt's happy voice said behind them. "I'll go grab it for you."

"Thanks Kurt." Benj said. "You wanna ride to school?"

"Yeah! We're two drivers and two vehicles short this year. And trust me, you do **not** want to ride with Kitty."

"Ah didn't think Kitty had her license." Rogue said, sitting down across from them.

"She doesn't, but just fair warning." Kurt said wearily and ported out to grab Benj's inhaler.

"You drivin' Rouge?" Benj asked.

"Yeah, but not a car with enough space. The prof won't let us drive the X-Van to school. Something about no armed cars on school grounds." She replied.

Both brothers laughed at this.

"Yeah, that'd probably be the fastest way to get expelled." Leo joked.

Kitty came over and tugged on Rogue's arm. "Come on Rogue, if we don't leave now we'll, like, be late for our first day!" She yanked again trying to pull the goth out of her chair. Rogue rolled her eyes and downed the rest of her orange juice.

"See ya guys at school." Rogue said standing.

"Hey…. Rogue you know I have my permit… do you think I could like-" Kitty began.

"No way Kitty. Ya are not goin' anywhere near mah car." Rogue interrupted.

Kurt ported back in behind the brothers in a puff of smoke. He handed the silver inhaler to Benj.

"Ready to go?" Kurt asked, switching on his image inducer.

"Yep!" Leo stood and laced his tail through his belt loops. He jingled his keys. "It'll be a tight fit but it's better than nothing."

* * *

><p>A yellow pick-up truck pulled into the school parking lot. Leo, Benj, and Kurt jumped out and squinted in the early morning sun.<p>

"There's usually an assembly on the first day." Kurt said. He pointed out the way to the gym.

Benj gulped when they got inside the gym. There were a lot of students scattered in the bleachers.

_A new beginning_, he thought, _Right and that means a blank slate. Oh man, I hate the first day!_"

Leo glanced at his brother. Mentally he said _'I can feel your anxiety. Try to calm down a little.'_

Benj nodded and followed Kurt up the bleachers. They stopped at a row close to the floor. Kurt sat next to an attractive dark-skinned girl.

He blushed as he turned to the brothers. "This is my girlfriend, Amanda."

Leo grinned and shook her hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise." Benj said.

Kurt turned away and began a hushed conversation with Amanda.

"Your parents aren't on to us yet, are they?" He asked worriedly.

Amanda laughed, "No silly, and I wouldn't care if they did. I'm not ashamed to be dating a mutant."

"I know it's just…"

Amanda took Kurt's face in her hands. "It's just what?"

Kurt sighed. "It's just I don't want to keep going behind their backs. I want them to see me as a suitable boyfriend for their daughter."

"You are Kurt, don't worry. They just don't see it yet, but they will."

"Yes but-"

"Students and faculty!" The smooth tone of Principal Darth's voice washed over the crowd. He was wearing a jet black suit, gray shirt, and a silver tie. "Welcome back! I hope you are all as excited for this next year as I am."

A half-hearted cheer rose up from the crowd.

Darth chuckled, "Yeah, I'd be the same way if I was your age. This year is a new beginning for this school. With more students than we had last year, this means I expect more participation! I want every student to be involved in at least one sport or club."

He paused. "Which brings me to the contracts for mutant athletes. They are very simple. By signing you are agreeing not to use your powers during a sporting event. It is to simply keep the competition fair and to give every one a better chance of being on a sports team. The contracts are available in the office and should be turned into me before the try-outs of the specific sport you with to be a part of. The coaches understand they cannot keep you off the team because you are a mutant, but understand that being a mutant will not automatically get you on the team."

He paused again, sweeping his purple eyes over the audience. He straightened his silver tie and continued. "Now that those few announcements are over, I will say something you need to keep in mind while you remain at this school. Bullying of any kind will not be tolerated. It doesn't matter if you're gay," his eyes fell to a teenage boy in the back with white hair and a black streak though his hair, "straight, black, white, Hispanic, Jewish, Christian, Islamic, mutant or not, it gives you no advantage over another. It isn't about the skills and abilities you possess. Pure talent will not make you the best. It is how you use your talents. I know there are some students in here who can change their shape, read minds, or teleport, but this is not what makes them more talented. There are many humans who use the talents they have to make a difference. That is what talents are for, If no difference is made, then you have wasted your talents." He stopped the whoel gym was silent. "Remember what I've said these last few minutes, and have a great first day!" Principal Darth stepped back from the podium and out the gym doors. The students followed suit.

"Still like this new principal Benj?" Rogue asked from behind him admist the rustle.

Benj creased his eyebrows in thought. "You were right Rogue, There's just something about him.. I can't put my finger on it…" he trailed off as they parted ways.

* * *

><p>This was the class Leo had been dreading all day. Taking a deep breath, the teen walked into the biology lab. Honors Biology I-II, a class guarneteed to be filled with freshmen.<p>

So far, he'd survived the day. No one asked him about his tail, he assumed they just thought ti was some bizarre fashion statement. There were several kids in his classes that were obviously mutants from the way they slank to the back to avoic attention. Jazz band was cool, but he just needed to talk to the professor about getting a trumpet. There was no way he was using the school's old beater of a trumpet.

His thoughts crashed to a halt as he walked through the door. The room was filled with lab stations, black counter tops and computers on each, each had two stools behind it. The room smelled of fear. Leo couldn't explain how he knew the smell, but his time with Logan proved what the stench was. Already ten new freshmen nervously inspected the lab stations. He wrinkled his nose in distate. Not all freshmen were bad, take Jamie for example, but his outlook on the class was not optimistic.

Leo spotted a calm-looking kid near the back of the room and decided to sit by him. The teen had short white hair, that was a bit longer in the front, with a black zig-zag streak of to the left of his head. The black streak went from his bangs all the way down the hair on his neck. The guy had dark blue eyes, which were a little sunken, a round nose, and ears that flattened against his skull. He was wearing a black T-shirt with a huge gray triangle in the middle, and gray cargo pants. His right ear had a single black stud in it.

The teen's head went up as Leo sat beside him. "This seat's not taken is it?"

The teen eyed him over for a second then responded. "No." In a quiet tone.

Leo grinned and offered his hand. "Hi, I'm Leo Dyson."

The teen took his hand shook it gently, like Leo's hand might break, "I am Enrique Oculto. It is nice to meet you." The teen had a slight Spanish (as in from Spain) accent.

"_¿Eres de España?"_ Leo asked.

"_Sí."_ Enrique replied, loosening up. "Are you as well?" He rattled off in Spanish.

Leo answered in English, "Nah, I'm from Michigan, but my mother was a Spanish teacher, and lived in Spain for five years. My step-father's family was from Mexico."

Enrique looked Leo over again, "You're not a freshman are you? 'Cause you don't look like one."

"I'm a junior. Taking biology now so I can be prepared for college."

"I see, so am I!" Enrique smiled, revealing perfect teeth.

Leo was about to say something when he saw Jamie walk in. "Hold on a sec," he said to Enrique. Leo ran over to Jamie. "Jamie! Awesome, we have a class together, huh?"

The younger mutant nodded. "But this means you have to help me with my homework."

"Fine with me. Hey, I'll catch up to you later okay?"

Jamie nodded and took his seat.

When Leo turned around he saw that Enrique's eyes were locked on him. This freaked him out a little. Enrique seemed to come out of his reverie and turned away.

Leo sat back down in silence. As the late bell rang, signaling the start of class, Leo took a deep breath to prepare him for survival. The teacher walked in and laid down the rules.

Halfway through class, the crystal over his hearted tugged at him, detecting a release of power. He took a sharp breath in and looked around to see if it was something or somebody in the room. Nothing. As suddenly as it had started, it stopped, returning to the steady thrum from the electronics in the room.

The white-haired teen looked at Leo quizzically, but then shrugged and rummaged in his backpack.

Leo rubbed the bridge of his nose. He was still trying to get the layout of the high school and couldn't tell where the power release came from.

He hoped it wasn't due to one of the Xavier students.

* * *

><p>Benj looked down at his schedule. His last class was in some room called "C37". He had a better idea where the lost city of Atlantis was. Groaning, he left the metal working class room and made his way up to the courtyard. Hopefully one of the Institute kids would be there to help him out.<p>

He walked out into the open air and shielded his eyes against the sun.

Immediately, he wished he hadn't. A large hand was now at his throat. It was the skater called Socks, a bulky black kid with a lopsided grin. He snickered, "Got 'im Lucius."

"Dents!" The infamous skater, Lucius said, spreading his hands in false greeting. Smaller than Socks, but certainly no one to mess with, Lucius had Benj out gunned. He ran a hand through his short brown hair and came up to Benj. Smiling, he flicked the silver hoop in Benj's ear. Benj struggled against the meaty hand at his throat. Only now did he realize the bell had rung, the courtyard was empty, minus him and his tormentors.

Lucius leaned in close to Benj's face. "I believe you owe me a debt." He snarled.

Socks threw Benj to the ground.

"I don't… owe you… anything!" Benj grumbled, while trying to force air back to his lungs.

Lucius kicked the blonde teen. "Don't play dumb with me Dents. You failed our bet; you owe me a hundred bucks."

Benj spat at the converse on Lucius' feet. "Eff off. I finished your damn bet." Benj received another sharp kick to the ribs. He coughed violently, and was viciously picked up and flung against the wall. He crumpled to the ground; his back pack fell off his back. Wheezing, he stood up to face his attackers.

"Stand down, Socks. This is between me and Benny boy." Lucius laughed cruelly.

Benj snarled, "DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

Lucius punched him in the stomach, causing him to buckle over. "I can call you whatever I want, see? All the cameras are out in the courtyard for reconfiguration. Ironic, huh?" The skater said, as he grabbed Benj by the shoulders and slammed him against the brick wall. He pulled his fist back and drove it into Benj's elfish face. Blood trickled from the blonde mutant's lip.

Lucius kneed Benj in the groin and laughed as he toppled over, "I guess I was wrong Socks! The kid really did have balls!"

Desperate to escape his persecutors, Benj slashed his hand through the air, conjuring up a gust of wind. The slice of air cut through the two bullies and flung them into the far-off line of trees.

Lucius and Socks fled, crying out "Freak!" as they threw down their skateboards.

Moaning, Benj wrapped his arms around his aching ribs. He curled up into a ball and passed out.

* * *

><p>"Going somewhere Logan?" Charles asked. Logan opened the huge oak doors to his study all the way and walked in.<p>

"Yep. Thought I'd go for a ride." He turned to Storm and Beast, who were also in the study. "Storm, Hank."

"Logan, we were just talking about team placements." Beast said.

"Yes, how is it going with Leo?" Charles asked, pivoting his wheelchair to face Logan.

Logan grunted. "The kid's got a short fuse but he's learnin' how to snuff it out. When it comes to raw power and brute strength, I don't think anyone, save Colossus maybe, tops him."

The professor folded his hands and rested his chin atop them, "Hmm. I've been thinking about moving him up onto the regular team. What do you think about this, since you have spent more time with him than anyone?"

"I think it's a good idea." Logan answered gruffly. "But if you're gonna move Leo up, Turbulence will have to come with. The two are a package. Plus he does a lot better at staying in control with his brother beside him."

Charles frowned. "Yes, Benj. He has more control, more than anyone could've expected… but he worries me. He's especially prompt to peer pressure and likely to get into trouble. I fear that in a fight with the Brotherhood he would be easily persuaded to join them."

"I disagree with that." Beast said, sitting up in his armchair. "He might be easily persuaded but he has strong ties here. Your fears are unneeded."

"I agree with Hank." Storm said, "Have you seen the way he looks at Rogue?"

"What?" Logan growled. The other adults laughed. Rogue was like Logan's daughter, and _he_ was definitely not ready for the whole 'dating' thing.

The laughter died when a small blinking light started up on the professor's wheel chair. "Oh dear, Cerebro." Charles said. The four of them sped down the hallways to Cerebro.

Charles rolled up to the console and placed the interface helmet on his head. The alarm lights stopped as Charles closed his eyes and focused.

"What is it Chuck?" Logan asked.

Charles' eyes snapped open. "Benj just used his powers, right outside the school. He's unconscious, I can't make any sort of mental contact, he has some sort of reflex mental shield up." He spun around. "We need to get to the school now."

* * *

><p>"No way Kitty!" Kurt argued as the two made their way to the courtyard after school. "Darth Vader would totally win in a fight against Darth Maul!"<p>

"But Darth Maul has, like, that double sided light saber. Vader's only has one, you know?"

Kurt threw up his hands, frustrated. "Have you ever seen Darth Maul choke someone with the Force? No!"

Kitty rolled her eyes as she pushed the doors leading to the courtyard open. "Like, that's only because he didn't live long enough for us to see him."

"Exactly!" Kurt shouted. "He only lasted one movie, Vader was in all six. Well, technically the last three… or first three depending on how you look at it..."

Kitty stuck her tongue out at him. "It's not his fault! Not everyone can survive being sliced in half, you know!"

"Darth Vader did!"

"Well, like… hmpft!" Kitty pouted.

The two of them stood just outside the courtyard doors. Suddenly something caught her eye. It was a black sneaker with green accents along it.

Kitty pointed and tugged at Kurt's arm. "Kurt!"

He spun around and went around the corner. "Oh my gosh! Kitty! It's Benj!" He shouted. The girl joined him and they both knelt next to him. "Benj! Benj, come on buddy!" Kurt said as he shook Benj. There was no response.

"Oh, man we need to get the professor!" Kurt said to Kitty.

"On it!"

"Wait, Kitty!" He shouted after her, she ran back.

"What?"

"I'll worry about the professor, you need to find Rogue and Leo."

"What? Like why would I do that?"

"We need to make sure Leo doesn't lose it. If we can keep him calm I think we'll be in the clear."

Kitty paused for a second, and then took off to find Rogue and Leo.

Kurt picked up his cell phone and dialed the Institute. Beast answered.

"Hello?"

"Beast! Benj's hurt, where's the professor?" Kurt asked frantically.

"Kurt, relax. The professor his already on his way, he should be there soon."

"Alright, bye." Kurt said, hanging up. He looked around, but luckily no one came over to the side of the building. He saw Amara and Tabitha walking out of the side doors.

"Tabitha!" Kurt hissed.

She turned around and put her hands on her hips. "What's up blue?" Her eyes fell to Benj's still form on the ground. "Oh…"

Amara walked beside her and gasped. "Is that Benj?"

"Yes, I need you two to search for Leo. We can't let him know what happened to Benj yet. He can't lose control here." Kurt replied.

"So what da ya want us to do? Distract him?" Tabitha asked.

"Pretty much. Maybe you can use your charm." Kurt answered, worriedly glancing at Benj.

"Come on Tabitha, let's see if we can find him." Amara said, pulling her friend away. "We'll let anyone else we see know!" She called back.

* * *

><p>Leo slammed his head into his locker door. Class had been worse than he'd thought. Of course the teacher had to announce he was a junior. Of course every freshman had to ask him twice why he was taking Biology and if he had flunked before.<p>

"If I had flunked, why would I be takin' honors?" He grumbled to himself as he opened his locker.

Enrique leaned on the locker next to him. The kid had nothing to do, and was perfectly fine with hanging around with Leo.

"Freshmen, huh?" Enrique cracked.

Leo chuckled darkly. "Yeah, wanna help me kill them?"

Enrique shook with silent laughter.

Rogue and Kitty approached the pair.

"Oh hey, Rogue, Kitty." Leo said. He pointed to Enrique. "This is Enrique Oculto. Enrique, this is Rogue and Kitty Pryde."

The quiet teen nodded in recognition.

"Goin' ta go get a mutant contract for soccah, Leo?" Rogue asked, trying to make small talk.

He nodded. "Yeah, thought I'd go grab one right now, how bout you?"

"Nah, Ah don't do sports." Rogue answered.

"Yeah, right! Like you could kick butt at any sport!" Kitty said.

Rogue gave her an angry look. "Maybe, but think about what would happen if Ah accidently touched someone durin' a game."

"Oh, right." Kitty said.

Enrique looked confused. "What would happen?"

Rogue bit her lip, wishing she hadn't said anything. Kitty giggled nervously. Leo blinked at the white-haired kid.

"How do you feel about mutants Enrique?" Leo asked carefully.

Enrique looked puzzled for a moment then realization dawned. "Oh. Mutants are cool. I am a mutant."

"Good." Leo said. "Hey you play fútbol right?"

"Of course." He replied.

Leo grabbed Enrique's arm and left. Enrique flushed slightly and followed Leo.

"Problem solved?" Kitty asked cheerfully.

"Possibly." Rogue answered, following the duo.

* * *

><p>Kurt looked up and saw the professor's sleek car pull up to the sidewalk next to him. Wolverine hopped out of the car and came over to where Kurt was sitting next to Benj.<p>

"Oh thank goodness! I was afraid you got lost or something!" Kurt sighed.

"No, just a lot of jackass drivers." Logan grumbled, as he hefted Benj onto his shoulder. "Come on elf. Let's go."

* * *

><p>Leo and Enrique walked into the administration office.<p>

Standing side-by-side, it was easy to tell Enrique was taller than Leo, being five foot nine. Leo was naturally short, like Logan, a lot of power packed into a small exterior.

Leo walked up to the secretary. "Can we pick up the mutant contracts? Me and him want to play soccer."

The female secretary looked over her glasses at him. She narrowed her eyes and handed him two contracts. They were each about five pages.

"Fill them out, _in full, _and turn it back in within the week." She said menacingly.

_Not a fan of mutants… Great. _Leo thought to himself as he handed a contract to Enrique.

"You think they have enough in here?" Enrique whispered, leaning down to Leo's ear. "Maybe they ought to add a few more pages."

Leo snorted. The secretary glared at the pair.

"Let's get out of here." Leo muttered back.

* * *

><p>Leo and Enrique ran to Leo's truck laughing. Enrique continued to make wise cracks about the contracts the entire time. When they reached the truck Leo's gruff laughed stopped abruptly.<p>

"Wait… you're a mutant?" Leo asked, lifting an eyebrow.

Enrique stopped his silent laughter and stared coldly into Leo's eyes. "Uh, yeah. Why else would I have gone with you to get a power contract?" He paused. "I even said I was a mutant!"

"Oh, boy. I really need to get out of school. It's meltin' my brain." Leo grumbled, rubbing his head.

Enrique shook his head. "Poor _niño_."

"Hmmm… I suppose I should find my brother and Kurt before I leave them at school…" Leo thought out loud.

Enrique looked disheartened. "You could just call them and tell them to walk."

"I could but-"

"Leo!" A girl's voice shouted.

Leo spun around to find the source of the voice. It was Tabitha.

"Hey there kitten, glad I found you." Tabitha sighed.

Leo raised an eyebrow.

"Er…" she glanced at the taller teen next to Leo. "Gonna introduce me to your friend here?" She eyed the earring in Enrique's ear suspiciously.

"Oh, yeah. This is Enrique. Enrique, this is Tabitha." Leo answered. "What did you need?"

Tabitha shook her head. "Just wanted to tell you that Kurt and Benj are gonna walk back to the Institute, so you can take off."

"Cool, thanks Tabs." Leo said, grinning.

Tabitha left the pair at the truck and went to round up the search party. "I wonder if Leo knows he's gay…" Tabitha muttered to herself as she walked off.

Leo turned to Enrique. "Want a ride home?"

"Not really, my folks don't get home for a while." Enrique mumbled.

Leo stroked his goatee. "Hmm, you could probably hang at Xavier's for a while, that is until your parents get home."

Enrique's face brightened.

* * *

><p>For the second time, Benj woke up in the bleak whiteness of the Institute's infirmary. He groaned as his head swam. His ribs took a beating again. But this time, he was too tired to look around for someone to ask what happened. Lying back down, Benj fell back asleep.<p>

Beast watched as Benj woke, then slipped back into unconsciousness.

"Well I think he'll be fine, professor." Beast said, turning to Professor X. "Does Leo know yet?"

"No and we're lucky he doesn't. There's no reason to take a chance with him." Charles responded. "Where is he anyways?"

"He invited a friend over." Beast said, exiting the infirmary quietly.

"A _friend?" _ The professor asked with a smile.

Hank chuckled. "No, it's a guy. Apparently a mutant named Enrique Oculto."

"A mutant?" Charles wondered, "Did Leo bring him for an interview?"

"No, they're filling out their mutant athletes' contracts and finishing homework. They're in Leo's room."

Charles smiled slightly. "I'll go see how it's going."

* * *

><p>"Woah… This is way more complex than I thought." Leo grumbled.<p>

He sat on his bed and Enrique was laying on the floor next to it. The two mutants were struggling to complete the forms. There were many questions about mutant powers, abilities, and overall personality.

"Why the hell does Darth want to know my fears?" Leo shouted, flinging the paper down.

Enrique looked sheepishly at the paper floating to the floor. "It is an odd question." He muttered.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Enrique sat upright.

"Come in, it's unlocked!" Leo yelled. The professor opened the door and rolled in. "Oh, hi Professor X." Leo said half-heartedly.

"Hello Leo, who's your friend?" The professor asked.

Leo groaned. He'd introduced Enrique several times already today, and was getting tired of doing so. "En-"

"Enrique Oculto." Enrique finished, standing up and shaking the bald man's hand. Leo grinned, thankful that Enrique saved him from another introduction.

"I understand that you're a mutant, Enrique."

The white-haired teen nodded.

"We here at the Xavier Institute can help you to manage your powers if you wish." Charles said.

"Actually," Enrique said quietly, "I'm perfectly fine. My powers are under control."

Charles stopped, his speech interrupted. He raised an eyebrow. "Well if you change your mind…" he rolled out of the room. "Oh and Enrique, your welcome to come by any time you want."

"Thank you."

Leo got up and shut the door. "Well that was weird." He sat back down on his bed and looked at Enrique. "What exactly _is _ your power?"

Enrique smiled and spread his arms, clenching his fists. The air shimmered for a brief second then he vanished.

"Sweet!" Leo said. There was a jarring sting in his crystal. Suddenly there was a weight on the bed next to him. Enrique's grinning face reappeared inches from his face. "Wah!" He shouted, falling over. Chuckling, Leo sat back up. "Invisibility, huh? You got a mutant name?"

Enrique nodded. "They call me Cloak."

* * *

><p><strong>You've now just met the first Haven character. Okay no, you've met two but...<strong>

**If you're not familar with some parts of American culture, typically a guy who wears just a right earring is gay. It's not as true any more, but it's a subtle hint in this chapter.**

**Not sure where to go from here, so I'm open for suggestions!**

(And the part I thought the editor ate, turns out Word ate it. Apparently I grazed the mouse pad while typing from my notebook and it made the chunk go POOF! but no worries, I fixed it)


	11. Chapter 10: Reasons

**Disclaimer: The X-Men aren't mine, they're Marvels. You know who are mine, and in this are two new OCs from my glorious reviewers.**

**Author's note: **_INCOMING!_

School. It's here. Yeah! (not really) So my posting will become more spaced out. In this chapter are two OCs submitted by San child of the wolves and magicrazy101. Thanks a ton and I hope for the brief time they're in here their accurate. Alright this is the longest chapter so far. I won't take up anymore time with my author's note.

* * *

><p>"Really? You all have that little faith in me?" Leo cried. He spread his arms wide and glared furiously at Kurt. They, as well as the professor, Logan, Rogue, Scott and Jean were in the infirmary. Of course Benj was there as well, out cold to regain his strength.<p>

Enrique had been asked to go home not long before. Leo had offered him a ride home, but Storm denied him that and took Enrique home herself.

Leo turned his heated gaze to Benj and softened, his eyebrows spreading apart. He could see why they thought he'd lose it, Benj looked pretty bad. His eye was swollen and purple, he had a gash on his lip, and had two bruised ribs. Leo had watched Beast change the dressing on Benj's chest. It looked like marble cake.

Jean had assisted Beast in the medical stuff. She was studying to be a doctor/genetic scientist. Her classes had started over two weeks ago, but she attended a campus pretty close to the Institute.

Scott, on the other hand, was attending classes at a community college in the area. After the Apocalypse event he turned down an admission to a nice college a few hours away. He started putting more time into the X-Men and the Institute. He taught the Physics and Mutant Powers class to the younger students sporadically through the week, and was always devising new Danger Room courses (with or without Logan). Scott became interested in what the professor suggested, on day taking over the school.

"I won't be here forever, and when I'm gone… Scott, I want you to take my place." Scott could hear him saying in the back of his mind. His home was here, no matter how much Jean or anyone else wanted him to go off and 'make a living'. He was dead set on staying at the Institute.

"I got it under control, see?" Lead said pointedly. "I'm not just some powder keg ready to blow! Sure, I still need some work, but I'll never be perfect. You've all helped me, now let me try to control it on my own."

"We just didn't want you to get expelled Leo." Kurt said, his ears and tail drooping. "We were just looking out for you."

"Yeah, no need ta get so angry." Rogue said, defending her brother.

"Look, it's not that we think you can't handle it," Scott said, "it's just-"

"-just that you haven't been put in too many situations where your amount of control is tested." Jean finished for him. "The rest of us have, so we know we have our powers in control."

Rogue rolled her eyes. "Riiiight." She snorted. "Like Scot just _chooses_ to wear ruby quartz and Ah _choose _ta wear clothes ovah mah whole body for fun."

Jean looked across Scott to Rogue hurt. "I wasn't saying that-"

"No, ya weren't," Rogue interrupted, "but just because we know how ta use them doesn't mean we got them undah control." She glared daggers at Jean. "_Some_ of us aren't that lucky."

Leo looked from one female mutant to the other. He hadn't seen the two in the same room often, and the times he had, Rogue was attempting to completely ignore Jean. Now he realized that Rogue nearly despised Jean for some reason.

A conversation that was supposed to calm him down was escalating into a fight between Rogue and Jean. He wasn't even sure if Jean realized it either.

"Rogue! Jean!" The professor said sharply, stopping the coming arguments. "This isn't the time."

Jean looked away from Rogue quickly, while Rogue tore her angry gaze away hesitantly.

Leo felt a slight mental prick in the back of his mind. At first he thought it was Professor X and started pushing back. Then he realized it was Benj. The blonde teen had awoken, but was using the cover of being asleep to make observations. Leo let him in and allowed him to see what he did. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Benj's eyes glowing a soft pink from behind his eyelids. It was a sure sign he was using their empathy link.

"Leo," the professor said, snapping Leo's attention back to him, "like Jean said, you need a way to test just how in control you are. How you handled events today prove you are ready." Leo looked at Xavier perplexed. "Leo, I'm moving you up onto the main X-Men team. Your hard work and dedication has paid off."

"Congrats, runt." Logan grunted.

The feline mutant blinked. His tail curled strangely and then flared back out. He was being moved up to an official X-Man.

_Woah._ Was the only though in his head. The shocked numbed his body and filled it with excitement.

Suddenly Leo felt a rush of sadness mixed with happiness from the brother. Then Benj had a pang of jealousy.

Leo sat down and the base of Benj's bed. He asked softly, "What about Benj?"

Xavier glanced awkwardly at Logan and Scott before answering, "He needs a little more time I think before he's placed on the full team."

"Oh…" Leo muttered. His face broke into his lunatic grin. "This is gonna be fun!"

Kurt bounced up to him and gave him a high five. "Alright buddy! Now you get one of these stylish fashion accessories too!" He gestured to something that looked like a watch on his wrist. It was a dark green and had a spherical bulge with a red X in the middle.

Professor X handed an identical one to Leo. "This is more of an alert system than a communicator, but it will let you know if we need you."

"Now, don't lose it Leo." Scott said grinning. He looked at Rogue. "Someone in here managed to lose hers." He said in a teasing tone.

"Hey!" Rogue growled.

Leo looked down at the watch, or communicator, or whatever it was. He felt like laughing all of a sudden, and realized it was because of Benj. He let out a gruff barking laugh as Benj sent him a thought.

Scott arched an eyebrow, "What's so funny?"

As Leo was securing the communicator on his wrist he answered. "Benj has Rogue's communicator." The X-Men stood with equal confused looks on their faces. "What? Benj just told me."

Rogue shook her head, "That's not possible. It's only been on me or in mah room. He hasn't-" Realization dawned on her face and she face-palmed. "Benj broke inta mah room. Remember when he first came he snuck inta mah room and knocked me out. He musta taken it then." She looked down at Benj's still form. "Ty may look it, but Benj is the real devil in the family."

Benj couldn't take it anymore and started laughing. It startled all the X-Men in the room as Benj withdrew his mind from Leo's and burst into a fit of laughter. The blonde teen sat up and connected his eyes with Rogue's. "You don't really mean that do you?"

She laughed, "Ah knew ya were awake there."

Leo chuckled at the affection the two were showing. It had been awhile since Benj had a girl he liked.

"Oh really, did ya now?" Ben said, mimicking Rogue's accent. She glared at him and came closer.

"Ah will push ya outa that bed." She growled.

"And into yours?" Benj teased.

Rogue's mouth fell open and she slapped him. "Ah can't believe ya just said that."

Leo stood laughing and dragged Kurt out of the room. "Let's let those two flirt by themselves."

Kurt shivered. "It's so weird."

"Woah there Benj," Scott said, putting his hands up. "You got to take things a little slower. Girls don't like it if you just leap into their beds."

Jean looked horrified at Scott and left the room in a huff.

"What? Jean, what did I say?" Scott called, chasing after her.

Charles left the room silently. _Ah, young love. _ He chuckled to himself.

Logan didn't leave the room so silently. He walked up to Benj menacingly and stuck his finger in his face. "Keep your distance, bub." Logan turned to Rogue and growled. "He makes a move on you, I'll kill him."

The two watched Logan storm out of the room in silence. The second the automatic door closed behind him they burst out laughing.

* * *

><p><em>The Brotherhood Boarding House<em>

Lance, Blob, Toad, and Pietro watched Magneto as he inspected the house from the safety of the living room. Blob couldn't hide to well so he served as the hiding place. The TV was on and he busied himself by pretending to watch it as the others peered over his shoulder at the Master of Magnetism.

"Dude, why is he still here?" Lance hissed at Pietro.

"How the hell should I know?" Pietro whispered furiously.

"He's _your_ father!"

"Yeah, the father who's been out of my life for years!" Pietro answered back.

"Yo, why don't we just ask 'im?" Toad suggested.

Lance and Pietro looked at him like he had grown horns. "Yeah, get idea! That could never backfire." Lance agreed sarcastically. "Are you insane? Magneto would kill us!"

"What, fo' askin' why he's still here?" Toad asked confused. "Look, if you sissies are too afraid to ask him, I will." He jumped out from behind Blob and began to approach Magneto.

"Well that was uncharacteristically brave." Pietro mumbled.

"Yeah, but if it keeps our butts from being whooped, great." Lance whispered.

Toad hopped up behind Magneto and cleared his throat. The man turned around and glanced at Toad. He was wearing the same suit he kept appearing in.

"So, uh, Magneto, boss, sir. What exactly are you still doin' here?" Toad asked tentatively.

Magneto looked down his nose at the disgusting teen. "I am going to pay for repairs for this pathetic boarding house. My Brotherhood can't just live in slop. To be taken seriously you can't just appear to be teenage delinquents. I have plans for you that require more serious measures. As for why I'm still here, I'm here to stay to whip this team into shape. More than just my daughter's skill is needed."

Toad gulped and hopped back to the guys. "He ain't goin' nowhere. Magneto's here to stay."

"What?" Pietro yelled. "The man who left us here to fend for ourselves is now living with us? I can't believe this!"

"Believe it Pietro," Magneto said, causing the boys to yelp. "You wanted to be a part of my plans before, are you still interested?" The boys glared silently. "If not, I can always arrange for public services to come and place you back in foster care." He said menacingly.

The comment was directed at Lance more than anyone else. He spent most of his life in foster care bouncing between families, and was not willing to **ever** go back.

"No, sir." Lance said nervously. "We're on board."

"Good. I think it's time to lure the new mutants the X-Men are hiding out." Magneto said, turning away. "Suit up, Wanda will join you shortly."

Pietro emerged from behind Blob's chair. "Just where is Wanda?"

"Doing some… research for me." Magneto answered.

* * *

><p>Wanda crouched in the shadows on the roof of a warehouse downtown. She peered down into the alleyway Magneto was having her watch. There was nothing but a dumpster and a couple of overflowing trash cans. She didn't know what was so special about it until she saw a purple swirling mass emerging from the brick wall.<p>

The swirling looked like a portal opening; she assumed this is what Magneto wanted to know about. Pushing increasing boredom from her mind she watched as several dark figures emerged.

First was a girl with dark brown hair with purple streaks. She had a long black trench coat on and what looked like a purple jump suit underneath. The girl immediately turned her attention to the portal and extended her hands, like she was keeping it open.

Then another girl followed out, wearing a tan cloth mask that covered all of her face, minus her neon green eyes. She was also wearing a light weight tan uniform that looked like a martial arts costume, but was slighted armored in the chest. As she emerged from the portal she rubbed her forearms that were covered in an elegantly patterned bronze wrist guards that went nearly to her elbows. A curved sword was slung across her back. She hissed something to the portal and another two figures came out.

Both were girls as well. One was very short, maybe just barely over five feet (but also possibly not even that), and had dark dirty blonde hair pulled into a ponytail. The suit this girl wore was half green, and half blue, the blue half being on the right, the green on the left. On the sleeves and legs there were hazel and brown curved stripes going down to her wrists and ankles. On the back of the uniform was a purple paw-print, and there were two matching smaller silver ones on the chest of her uniform. Brown boots covered her feet, and brown fingerless gloves were on her hands.

The other was of average height, possibly around 5' 6". She had tan skin, short dark brown hair, and an elfish face. Her ears were pointed as well. The body build of this girl held hidden power, although little muscle showed it was obvious she was extremely flexible and able to hold her own. She wore a tight black body suit with matching gloves, a thick belt with throwing knives strapped on, a black trench coat over top, and orange tinted aviator goggles around her neck.

"Alright Portal, where'd he say he was?" The girl in tan asked, her green eyes sweeping the alley.

"Ricky said he was about two blocks down. He had the woman drop him off at the apartments over there." 'Portal' the girl with purple streak in her hair answered. "He just texted he's trying to get her to leave without her seeing him enter one. She seems intent on making sure he 'gets home okay'." She laughed, a nasally sound.

The elf girl laughed too. "Yeah, if she knew where he really lived she'd probably have a heart-attack." She had an under-laying Italian accent. "So what's the plan Clay?" She asked, turning to the girl in tan.

Clay's eyes narrowed, although Wanda couldn't see her face she knew she was frowning. "Well… Knife," she called the Italian elf, "you and me are going to _pick up_ some groceries." Knife snickered. "Portal, you stay here with Ash and wait for him to show up. When he does, just wait here, we won't be too long."

Knife removed her black trench coat and threw it to Portal. "Hold on to that, will ya?" Portal nodded and caught the flying coat.

"Come on." Clay growled impatiently. "I haven't gotten to steal anything in over a month since Jaller got elected leader." Her voice held a lot of restrained anger.

"Oh relax Clay. When we get back we can talk about that guy in the back of our English class."

Clay stopped nearly at the entrance of the alleyway. "Shut-up. Now."

Knife laughed and ran up the side of the brick wall and perched half-way up. "If you don't want me to tease you, you shouldn't tell me these things!"

Wanda shook her head. **These** were the mutants Magneto wanted her to keep an eye on? They were nothing but a couple of teenage girls.

"This was a waste of my time." She growled softly. If it wasn't her father who assigned the mission, she would have left right then. She watched the two girls exit the alley and redirected her attention to the two remaining.

The short one, apparently Ash, stood silently and looked around her with curiosity. Portal climbed atop the dumpster and took out a cell phone. The light from the screen lit up the dark alley.

"Alright, Ash. Ricky's almost here. I hope Clay and Knife are fast." Portal said, leaping down from the dumpster. Ash nodded, and wordlessly took Knife's trench coat from Portal. "Thanks."

A male figure appeared in the lamplight just outside the alley. He glanced cautiously side-to-side before entering. Entering slowly he pulled the brown hoodie off his head, revealing short white hair like Pietro's. Unlike Pietro, though, he had a black zig-zag going down on the left side of his head

"Ricky!" Portal squealed as she rushed to hug him. He accepted it one-handedly.

"Hey Portal." Ricky said, wrapping his arms around her and lifting her up. She was just a little shorter than him. "Where's Clay and Knife?" He asked, his voice held a Spanish accent.

"Grabbing some groceries." Portal giggled.

Ricky chuckled silently. "How's your day been Ash?" He asked softly, turning to the silent girl.

Ash mumbled something, and Ricky nodded. "I know right? Beats the 'home schooling' we get at the Haven. Make any new friends?"

Ash shook her head.

"Oh well." Ricky smiled hugely. "I did."

"A guy?" Ash mumbled in question.

Ricky nodded, his smile growing. "I think he could be the one."

Ash didn't smile but showed her happiness for him by giving him a thumbs up. Ricky's smile increased even more, if it was possible. He knew Ash almost never smiled, and that if she did it didn't actually show how she was feeling.

Portal smiled sadly and walked away.

Wanda rolled her eyes. If Magneto wanted her to watch teenage drama she could always turn on _Degrassi_. She continued to observe as this Ricky described whoever this guy was. She couldn't have been happier than when the two girls Clay and Knife came back with arms full of grocery bags.

"Alright, I give the police twenty minutes or less to find us. Let's go." Clay commanded. "Nice to see you Cloak, how was the Institute?"

Wanda's eyes widened. One of them had been inside the Xavier Institute. Maybe this was why Magneto wanted them observed.

"Fine. It's HUGE. Although I still prefer the Haven. Nothing's better than being able to see the stars from my bedroom." Ricky, AKA Cloak, said.

Clay nodded. "Portal, take us home."

The girl with purple streaks in her hair spread her arms wide and a swirling purple portal opened up in front of her.

Clay tossed the bags to Cloak and Ash and drew her sword. "You guys go on, I'll follow up."

Her team filed into the portal, leaving just Clay and Portal out. Clay turned her neon green eyes up to wear Wanda was hiding. "You." She yelled, pointing her sword at Wanda. "Come on, I know you're there."

Wanda's breath caught in her throat as she stood, preparing for a fight. Clay sheathed her sword and jumped up to the roof of the warehouse. At such a close distance, Wanda could tell the other girl's skin was a sort of tan-gray, like the color of unmolded clay. The wrist guards covered most of the back of Clay's hands, but left her fingers uncovered. She stuck a tan-gray finger in Wanda's face.

"Tell Magneto to leave the Haven alone." Clay growled. Her form stretched and then shrank into a hawk. In her morph she screeched at Wanda and flew off the top of the warehouse, back down into the alley.

Wanda ran over to the side of the building and looked down. The alley was completely teenager devoid.

* * *

><p><em>Xavier Institute<em>

"What do you mean Leo's on the regular team!" Bobby yelled at Jamie. The younger boy shrugged and ran off. Bobby turned to Ray exasperated. "What the hell?"

Ray frowned. "I don't get it. We were here way longer than him." He gestured to the rest of the 'new mutants' who were grouped around them. Of all of them, only Bobby had managed to get on the regular X-Men team, and that was only recently.

"Do you know how long it took for me to earn my spot?" Bobby growled. The next part of the rant was mouthed by Tabitha who sat off to his left. "Like, nearly an entire year! If anyone deserves to be on the X-Men, it's me."

"Dude, the rest of us have been here that long too. And you're at least on the team now." Ray grumbled.

"Why do you care so much that Leo's on the regular team?" Amara asked. "We should be congratulating him, not complaining about his success."

"Yeah, and I seem to remember him kicking your sorry ass the other day in the Danger Room, Bobby." Tabitha teased.

"So what? I wasn't awake! Who is awake and ready at seven in the morning?" Bobby protested.

"Apparently Leo." Tabitha replied smugly.

"Ah'm going to have to agree with Bobby one this one." Sam said shyly. "It ain't really fair that Leo got on the team over us."

Amara shook her head and stood up. "If you guys want to complain about another guy's victory, go ahead. I'm going to congratulate Leo." She said as she left the game room.

Once she opened the door, she saw that Leo was leaning against the wall just outside.

"Leo!" She exclaimed. "I'm so happy for you!"

He grunted. "At least you are. None of them seem to like me too much." He frowned and stared straight ahead at the wall. Suddenly he roared and slammed his fist into the pedestal holding a piece of art next to him.

Amara jumped back, then came closer to him.

"They don't get it! I had to work forty times harder than any of 'em!" Leo looked angrily at Amara. "None of their powers involves another side of themselves they can't let out. None of them," He yelled, pointing at the wall, where on the other side was the 'new mutants', "have a lion to tame! Sure I did it faster than 'em, but that was 'cause I had no choice!" By the end of his yelling he was breathing heavily. He looked at Amara whose face was both frightened and sad. "I'm so sorry Amara, I didn't mean to go off on you like that…"

She held up her hand. "It's okay. I'm sorry for our teammates in there who can't be happy for you."

Leo took her hand, and then hugged her. "Thanks Amara, you don't get how much it means to me to hear someone who's happy for me."

Amara's face turned bright red as Leo let go. He smiled goofily then ran down the hall.

She had no idea what just happened, but she was happy it did.

* * *

><p>"So… how's your day been." Benj said cheesy-like.<p>

He and Rogue had been hanging out for about an hour and were running low on things to talk about. She'd pulled up a chair alongside his bed.

Rogue rolled her eyes. "Pathetic, ya know that." Benj faked a hurt face. "Oh, fine. My day's been fine if ya don't count havin' ta run all ovah the school lookin' for someone's brothah because he got himself pummeled."

Benj laughed briefly, then his face darkened. "I didn't get pummeled, I was just practicing self-restraint. I could've beaten those two easily. If…"

"If…?" Rogue asked.

"If I had used my powers." Benj answered darkly.

Rogue took his hand. "Ah, for one, am glad ya didn't. Then ya wouldn't be at school, and there'd be just anothah reason for people to hate us."

Benj nodded and looked at his gloved hand in her gloved hand. Her gloves were plain black, while his had yellow streaks at the knuckles. It was a little weird for him to get used to the feel of things through his gloves, but he did it anyways. For Rogue.

She followed his gaze to their hands. "Why do ya do this, Benj?" She asked, holding up his hand.

He shrugged and said "For you," the same time Rogue asked, "For me?"

Rogue blushed. "Thank ya, but ya don't have ta." She took a deep breath. "Why don't ya like someone else, someone ya can touch?"

Benj sat back and closed his eyes. It was something he had asked himself as well, but he couldn't seem to find the answer. "I don't know Rogue. Somehow, it doesn't matter to me. I'm only interested in you." Benj leaned in very close to her face and used his free had to brush some stray hair from her face. "You are beautiful. Has anyone ever told you that?" He smiled.

Rogue sat transfixed by his turquoise eyes. She didn't even realize what he was doing until afterwards.

His swollen lip grazed hers for a second, then he pulled away. His breathing was a little more ragged than usual, but he was no worse for wear, and still conscious.

"I'm sorry, I didn't… I got carried away." Benj apologized.

Rogue raised his hand and kissed the leather. "It's okay…" She sat and looked around the room awkwardly.

"Logan's gonna kill me." Benj sighed. Rogue laughed.

"Yes he is. But maybe Ah won't tell him and ya can live longah."

"You really are the best Rogue." Benj said.

She smiled. The automatic doors to the infirmary flew open. It was Kurt.

"I hope I'm not interrupting but the professor wants to see us." Kurt said to Rogue.

"Nah, it's fine." Benj said, shooing Rogue away with his hand.

"What is it?" Rogue asked impatiently.

"The Brotherhood is at it again."

* * *

><p>For some reason, Magneto just wanted the Brotherhood boys to make trouble at a closed amusement park.<p>

So they did.

Blob was having a great time ransacking all the food carts and stalls. Toad was goofing around the game stands with Quicksilver. The two of them would take turns being the customer then the booth operator. Toad won five gigantic teddy bears and Quicksilver decided to take the rest.

Avalanche leaned back on a bench casually. He turned his head to the House of Mirrors. "How much you wanna bet I can break every mirror in there?" He asked Toad.

Toad squinted one eye closed and stroked his chin. "I'll give you this teddy bear for Kitty if you can manage to…"

The ground shook violently and the House of Mirrors bucked into the air before slamming back down. There was an ear-deafening amount of shattering glass.

"I'll take that bear." Avalanche said, scooping the bear up from off the ground.

"A stolen bear, Lance? Come on. Ya can do bettah than that." Rogue scoffed.

Avalanche whirled around and stumbled back. The rest of the X-Men were filing in behind her. Lance noted an additional member in the back with red spikey hair and a sleeveless uniform.

"Who's the new guy?" Quicksilver asked, running up to Lance.

"Don't know, but I bet we can take him." Avalanche answered menacingly. His eyes rolled back and the ground beneath the X-Men began to shake.

They scattered. The Brotherhood followed suit and split up. Quicksilver noticed Wanda walking in the entrance.

"Hey! Glad you could join us." He called.

Leo got a little caught in the scrambling and lost his footing in the earthquake. A huge shadow fell over him as he picked himself up. It was Blob.

Blob put both meaty hands around Leo and lifted him from the ground. "And what do they call you? Pipsqueak?" He roared with laughter.

"Actually," Leo grunted, the air escaping from his lungs. "They just call me Leo." He shifted fast and dug his claws into Blob's hands.

Blob released him angrily and held his bleeding hands. He charged forward and swung his fist at Leo. It struck him and sent him flying through the air.

"Huh, you're not so tough." Blob grumbled as he turned and came face-to-hand with Rogue.

"Don't mind if Ah borrow yar powah do ya?" Rogue said snidely as Blob fell face first into the dirt. "Didn't think so."

Cyclops was trying to hit Toad, who was bouncing around on the rides.

"Can't hit me. Nope, too slow!" He taunted as Cyclops missed yet again with an energy blast.

Both looked up as Leo came flying by. Leo crashed right into the bumper-car ride. He got up angrily and brushed electrical parts angrily off of him.

"Yikes," Toad said. "Yo who is that?"

Leo growled, and ruffled his mane.

"That's," Cyclops said, "Leo."

Toad shrieked as Leo came charging at him, claws extended. Scott tried not to laugh at the comical sight of a toad hopping away from an angry lion. He turned and chased after the pair.

Leo slashed at Toad, but the mutant jumped out of the way, causing Leo to leave deep slash marks in the metal car of the rollercoaster. Toad hopped down to the controls and pushed a green button.

"Heh, I wonder what this one does." Toad chuckled. Leo was hit by the bar in the rollercoaster car and fell over. He sat back up and tore the bar up. Realizing the car was now moving he jumped to the control booth below.

"I'll tell you what it does." Leo growled at Toad. "In fact, I'll show you!" He grabbed Toad by the back of his neck and climbed back up onto the slowly moving rollercoaster car. Toad was screaming, and Leo wrapped the broken bar around him. The two sat down in the car behind with a working bar. Leo snapped the bar down and wrapped part of the other bar around this one. He stood up and waved at Toad. "Have a fun ride." He called jumping from the car.

"Wait a minute! You can't just leave me !" Toad screamed as the car plummeted from the first drop.

Cyclops met Leo at the base of the coaster. "Nicely done." He said.

Leo nodded and sighed. "What now, oh fearless leader?"

The two surveyed the area. Blob was out, face down in the dirt; Quicksilver was struggling inside a net of hardened cotton candy, the handiwork of Nightcrawler and Iceman; and Avalanche was hanging upside down from the Ferris wheel.

"Looks like the Brotherhood's all out." Scott said.

Leo frowned, "I thought you said there was one more? A girl?"

Jean floated over to the two guys. "Has anyone seen the Scarlet Witch? I could have sworn she was here before."

Cyclops shrugged. "She's gotta be here somewhere, let's look." The three nodded and split up.

Leo peered behind one of the controls of the trashed bumper-cars. Suddenly a blue glow engulfed one of the squashed cars, "Oh no." Leo mumbled as he ducked. The car went flying by overhead.

"So you're the X-Men's newest recruit?" Wanda sneered.

"Maybe, who's askin'?" Leo answered, throwing the control panel at her. It stopped in midair, but not from her powers. From in the shadows, Magneto emerged hand extended.

"I am the one asking." He said, flinging the control panel nonchalantly at Leo. He extended his powers and was happy to find that Leo's claws were made of metal. "Now what do we have here?" He questioned as he caused Leo to extend his own claws in agony.

Leo roared in pain.

"Now that's a bit, over dramatic, don't you think?" Magneto taunted.

* * *

><p>The X-Men regrouped at the entrance of the amusement park. Everyone, except Leo.<p>

"Anyone find Wanda?" Nightcrawler asked.

Everyone shook their heads.

"Wait," Shadowcat said, looking around. "Where's Leo?"

"Everyone, look for Leo!" Cyclops ordered. "Jean can you try to find him telepathically?"

"I can, but he's not going to like it." She closed her eyes and reached out around the park to try and find Leo. "There!" She said pointing. "He's at the bumper-cars. He has company."

"The Scarlet Witch?" Rogue asked.

Jean nodded, "And Magneto."

With that comment renewed urgency flooded into the group.

* * *

><p>Magneto made a sweeping motion with his hands and caused Leo to fly across the ride by his claws. Leo slammed into a pile of bumper-cars and groaned. He was getting his can kicked.<p>

"There's so much more you can do with your powers, Leo." Magneto said soothingly. "You don't have to serve a human lover. We as mutants should be above that."

Leo snarled and leapt at Magneto. "Who the hell are you?"

"Think of me as kin." Magneto said, sidestepping Leo. "Since all of your family is dead."

Leo spun around and slashed his claws at the magnetic mutant. Renewed anger pulsed through his veins. "How do you know about my family?" He said, stopping.

Magneto brushed some dust off his shoulder armor. "Oh I know a lot about you Leo Dents. Your brother Tyler has been trapped in your house in shame for two years because of his mutation. Your adopted brother Benjamin Dents caused his parents' car accident. Then there's you Leo." He said softly, coming very close to the lion. "You have your own dark side, don't you? What exactly happened to those teenagers who set your house on fire? Where are they now?"

"Stop it. STOP IT! You don't know ANYTHING about me!" Leo roared. The lion within was set loose on a short leash. He slashed faster and stronger than Magneto could fend off. He cut deep gashes in the Master of Magnetism's armor. He grabbed the man around the throat and brought him close to his face. He bared his fangs and growled. "Whoever you are, I'm not interested." And flung the man against the wall.

"Leo!" The lion mutant turned and saw the rest of the X-Men running up to him. Suddenly he felt very drained. Kurt was the first to reach him and he leaned heavily on the blue elf.

"Woah, Leo! Your arm!" Kurt yelled.

Leo looked down at his arm and saw it was drenched with blood. He leaned more on Kurt and shifted back to human. "It'll heal." He said woozily.

"Ah! Leo stay with us." Nightcrawler shook him as the amber eyes started to roll to the back of his head.

Cyclops looked around. "Where's Magneto?"

Shadowcat glanced behind her to where she had left Lance on the Ferris wheel. "Scott! The Brotherhood are gone as well." The chair that had held Lance was now empty.

Cyclops pounded his fist on the wall of the bumper cars. "How could they just vanish?"

Leo slipped from Kurt's grasp and fell to the ground.

"Oh man, I better get him back to the Institute now." Kurt said nervously.

Leo grabbed his bleeding arm and watched as the world got fuzzier and fuzzier.

* * *

><p>Professor Xavier looked on as Beast bandaged up Leo. Already the teen had healed half-way but the cut in his arm was still quite deep. He folded his hands under his chin.<p>

Just what was Magneto doing?

* * *

><p><strong>And then there were three. <strong>You have just met three new Haven characters. Knife from magicrazy101, and Ash from San child of the wolves. "But wait, there was four new, wait no 5 new characters!"

No you've met two before. Ricky AKA Cloak AKA Enrique Oculto. And you've met Clay, but maybe you just haven't realized it.

Over the next week I'm going to go back and edit my first 10 chapters. There were some parts I left out of some, and I think I'll do this every 10 chapters or so to guarentee the best for my readers.

(oh and has anyone else been having trouble viewing their traffic stats? or is it just me?)

Tune in as we find out just what Magneto was talking about!

~Keep writing strong. _Stormplains_


	12. Chapter 11: Beyond Reasons

**Shoot! As you may have noticed, I uploaded the wrong chapter yesterday. Oh gee, that was horrible.**

**Disclaimer: The X-men aren't mine, their Marvels. I simply expanded on their wonderful ideas.**

**Author's Note: **Who doesn't love school?

Yikes, I got a lot more homework than I would have wanted the first week back. But... I still met my self-inflicted deadline. I was going to post a depressing version of this chapter on Sunday, but decided against it. It was really bad and made me depressed to just write it. So I rewrote the ending and introduced Clay Dune in.

**Read, enjoy, review.**

* * *

><p>"Yo, Magneto. Wha'd we do now?" Toad asked as the Brotherhood filed into the boarding house.<p>

Lance flicked on the light switch and tiredly flung his helmet onto the couch. With an exhausted sigh he crumpled next to it.

Magneto frowned as he watched the Brotherhood teens collapse in various positions in the living room. Mystique had not done an adequate job; the Brotherhood had little stamina and were beaten easily.

He sighed, "Get some rest, and don't be surprised to see me here in the morning. Also there might be a contractor here after school." The Brotherhood were visibly happy for permission to sleep; the sun had long since gone down.

Pietro, Blob, Lance, and Todd dragged themselves to their rooms.

"Wanda, a word." Magneto said as she turned to leave.

"Yes?" Wanda asked.

Magneto gestured for her to sit. She sat on the rotting couch delicately and looked expectantly at Magneto.

He removed his helmet and placed it atop the TV. Then he removed his breastplate, which was heavily scarred from battle with Leo. Wanda braced herself for the sight of blood, but was astonished to see an identical breastplate underneath.

"He never even touched you." Wanda gasped.

The Master of Magnetism smiled smugly as he focused his powers on the dented metal and crushed it like a tin can. The new breastplate was hardly scratched; in the worst spot it simply looked like some one had keyed it.

"I am proud to say he did not. Just another way to get to him."

Wand frowned slightly. "The things you said to Leo, were they even true?"

"Ah, yes. But more on that another time. I have questions for you." Magneto stated. "The mutants I had you observe…"

Wanda quickly related what she had observed, and then said: "The one called Clay had a message for you. She said to tell you to stay away from the Haven." Wanda stood and approached her father. "What does that even mean?"

His expression was impossible to read. "Of course… Clay Dune, an especially dangerous shape-shifter. She would give Mystique a run for her money." He smiled smugly. "Do not worry Wanda, get some sleep my daughter."

* * *

><p>Rogue woke with a start. The flames in her dreams had broken the calm spell she had been enjoying. Rubbing sleep from her eyes, she looked at Kitty, who was passed out on her floor.<p>

The two had come back tired from the fight with the Brotherhood and had started talking in Rogue's room. They never finished their conversation.

Rogue shook her head and laid back down to sleep. The second she closed her eyes she thought she heard something outside in the hallway. Groggily she sat up and glanced at the clock.

_3:01 am_, it read.

She sighed and walked to her door, carefully stepping over Kitty in the process.

The door opened with a slight squeak, startling the person in the hallway. Rogue poked her head out and looked to her left. A figure wearing a dark gray hoodie and jeans stood there bewildered. It was Leo.

"Leo? What are ya doin' up?" She hissed.

Leo's eyes were wide in fear of being caught. His dark zipper hoodie covered most of a red T-shirt and all of the bandages wrapped around his arm. The hair on his head was _not_ spiked, but hung limply down on his head.

"Uh, goin' for a jog." Leo said. He shook his feet that were in a pair of trainers.

Rogue eyed him suspiciously. He held his backpack in one hand, and had the other hastily shoved in his pocket. _Something_ was wrong.

"A job?" She croaked. "It's like three in the morning."

Leo darted his eyes to the ground and replied. "I like to get an early start." He looked down the hallway, "Um… bye." He said bolting.

Rogue closed the door softly behind her. "Well that was strange." She muttered.

"No kidding." A voice said from in the dark of her room. Kitty sat up and looked at her. "Like, what do you want to do?" She said too perky for three in the morning.

Rogue shrugged. "Ya think we should follow him?"

"Like yeah! He's acting way too suspiciously, you know?" Kitty answered.

"Ah thought ya were asleep." Rogue whispered as she threw on some real clothes. A black fitted T-shirt, purple hoodie, and a pair of jeans was what she selected.

"I was," Kitty said, waving her hand absent mindedly, "and then somebody thought it would, like, be totally great to have a conversation."

"So are ya comin'?" Rogue asked aas she zipped the hoodie.

"Yeah, like wait one sec!" Kitty said, phasing through the wall to her room next door. She returned nearly a minute later in shorts, a pink fitted T-shirt, and a light gray hoodie.

"Like, let's go!"

* * *

><p>Logan walked down the mansion's main staircase. He wasn't able to sleep much due to the runt being in the infirmary. He would never admit it, but he was worried for the kid. When Leo returned from his first Brotherhood battle, he wasn't there mentally. He'd lost a lot of blood from his fight with Magneto and wouldn't even crack a joke about Ol' Bucket Head. It was like something truly traumatic had happened during the fight. Logan wanted to make sure it didn't cause Leo to lose his head.<p>

As he walked past the kitchen, he was surprised to see the light on. He shoved the door open. Charles was sitting at the small table with a troubled expression.

"Couldn't sleep either, huh Chuck?" Logan asked gruffly.

Xavier looked up suddenly and smiled. "Hello Logan. Now, what Magneto did worries me." He gestured for his friend to sit, Logan complied. "He must have said something to Leo that shattered him. I worry for the boy's sanity."

"Yeah," Logan grunted, "the kid's head wasn't there. I was just going to check on him."

Charles smiled, "That seems like a good idea, I'll accompany you."

Logan turned to the kitchen door. He'd caught Rogue and Kitty's scents from behind it. "You two wanna join us?"

The two girls opened the door sheepishly. They were fully dressed.

"Goin' somewhere Rogue?" Logan asked with a smile.

"Uh, Leo was outside our door a few minutes ago and we were goin' ta follow him." Rogue replied quietly.

"What?" The professor and Logan said in shock.

"Logan, you better find him." Xavier said. "I want you two back in bed." He commanded.

"Like, no way professor!" Kitty argued.

"No, you both have school in the morning."

"Oh, let them come Chuck." Wolverine said impatiently. "They'd probably sneak out anyways."

"Alright, but be careful."

* * *

><p>The threesome went to the garage. Unsurprisingly, the Dyson's motorcycle was missing.<p>

"X-Van?" Rogue asked, jerking her thumb toward the black bulky vehicle.

"Nah, more inconspicuous." Wolverine said. "I'm gonna take my bike, Rogue why don't you take your Jeep?"

She nodded. Although Rogue hated that she'd chosen the same car Lance had, she couldn't say she didn't like it. Her Jeep was a newer version than Lance's and was silver. She'd also gotten a real cover for it, because nothing was worse than drving a topless Jeep in the rain.

"Alright, Kit get in." Rogue said as she hopped in the front seat.

Kitty jumped in the shotgun and looked longingly at the keys. "Hey Rogue, like, maybe on the way back you think I could-"

"NO!" Rogue and Logan growled simultaneously.

Logan took a long sniff of the air then revved the engines. "I got his scent."

"We're right behind ya." Rogue said.

* * *

><p>Leo crouched low on the motorcycle and turned a corner. He was doing a complicated back and forth pattern to try and overlap his scent. He didn't want Logan to find him; he did not want to be found.<p>

His eyes fell shut, then he snapped them back open and swerved around a trash can some idiot left out. His eyes fell onto a nearby park.

He pulled up the motorcycle in the parking lot and stumbled over to a rusting merry-go-round. The whole park was in disrepair. All the rides were rusting and or broken, and the swings looked to hazardous to even approach.

Exhausted and nervous, Leo placed his backpack down and curled up with his head on it.

"_THAT _can't be too comfortable." A female voice said from behind the slide. Leo sat up and peered into the shadow.

A girl in a tan cloth mask that covered all of her face walked up. As Leo's eyes adjusted to night vision he saw that she was wearing something that looked like a martial arts costume that was a light tan, with an armored chest. Light from the light pole several yards away glinted off her forearms, which were covered in elegantly patterned bronze wrist guards that went nearly to her elbows.

"You running from someone?" She asked. He blinked his drying eyes. She laughed, "Come on dude, why else would you be trying to sleep on a merry-go-round?"

"Uh…" He groaned. Whoever she was, she was pretty observant. "Yeah, I'm runnin'. You got a problem girly?"

The girl came up and stood in front of him. "Girly? That's pathetic."

Leo frowned and let out a low growl. "What do you want? If you don't have anything to say to me, go away."

"I'm here to offer you a place to stay."

"What?"

"It's called the Haven, and it's for mutants like us."

"This Haven isn't anything like the Havens from the Wizard Heir is it? 'Cause I don't want to go then." Leo said smiling.

She rolled her green eyes. "You dork, of course not! It's for mutants, not wizards! But I suppose it is a little similar." She paused "It's a sorta safe haven for mutants, mutants who have done unforgiveable things." Although her mouth wasn't visible there was a smirk in her eye.

Leo shot up and grabbed the mutant by her neck. "What the hell do you know?"

The girl grabbed Leo's hand, as to steady herself. When she answered, she answered without any breathing difficulty. "Relax, I don't care the slightest what you did. I'm not gonna hold it over your head and threaten you with it." She was smiling. "Now, be a dear and set me down so we can talk like normal people."

Leo set her down lightly. "We aren't normal, you know?"

"Huh," she laughed scornfully. "I'd say we're better than normal."

"What's your name?"

"What's yours?"

Leo's eyes widened. "You came all this way and you don't know my name?"

She swung her foot back in a small arch. "Nope! Listen, I just am new to this 'recruiting' we only see where there are mutants, not who they are. As for my name, you can call me by my true name: Clay Dune."

"Leo…Dyson."

"Now as I was saying… what you've done doesn't matter to me. The mutants I live with are killers, thieves, and convicts. If God's forgiven you for what you've done, I'm cool with it." She was playing into his religious beliefs. Clay had done her research well, but was glad she didn't have to lie to this one. "You won't have to hide what you've done with the Haven."

It was almost visible, the gears turning in Leo's head. He had met the X-Men first, and his allegiance was with them, but the Haven was promising. If everything this Clay Dune said was true, he would never have to worry about his past being discovered.

"I-" Leo started. Twin streaks of light cut through the darkness. He turned and saw that a Jeep and Logan's bike was parking beside his motorcycle. He looked back to Clay. There was a peculiar look on her face.

Her eyes flashed. "Look, I don't mean to rush you, but if you don't decide now you're goin' back with them."

"I can't decide now, I-I'm not ready to."

She nodded, then glanced at the trio emerging from their vehicles. "Here," Clay grabbed something from her belt. It was small and spherical, "it's a Haven communicator. If you need anything, or if you're in trouble, press the red button. I'll be there as fast as I can."

Leo held the object, and turned it over in his hands. He chuckled quietly as he noticed it looked like a mini Deathstar. "I'll be sure to use it Clay." He looked back up to her.

Clay's eyes smiled. "See you around Leo." She backed up as the X-Men came closer and melted into the shadows.

Leo grinned like a lunatic. The way she said his name _Leo, _like it was exotic. He heard the trio's foot steps behind him, and turned.

"Everything okay, runt?" Logan asked.

"Yeah." Leo nodded. "Just needed to clear my head."

"Anything you want to talk about, kid?"

Leo sighed, he would just have to hide his past a while longer. "No."

"Then why'd ya run, we followed ya all the way out here!" Rogue grumbled angrily.

"Sorry to disappoint, Rogue." Leo said harshly, standing to face them. "Maybe I was goin' to run, but something changed my mind."

"The professor's, like, not going to be happy, you know?" Kitty said, "I mean he was seriously worried."

"He'll get over it." Leo said with a wave of his hand. "Let's go home."

* * *

><p>The professor wasn't happy with Leo. He was scolded slightly, and then told to come talk to Professor X after school. After Leo lumbered off to bed the professor continued his thoughts.<p>

Magneto had pushed some button on Leo that caused him to try and run. Something was horribly wrong.

* * *

><p><strong>Yay! Go super fast writing.<strong> Alright it's up, you know what to do. Thanks as always to my epic reviewers. We are offically in the Haven storyline, but you haven't seen all the characters yet, or understand it completely, don't worry. It's all a matter of time.

I think Saturday I'll write Kitsune's intro, an OC submitted by San child of the wolves. Oh yes, that will be fun.


	13. Chapter 12: Bombshell

**Disclaimer: The X-Men aren't mine. But the characters of the Haven, as well as Leo, Benj, and Ty are mine (or an OC of my reviewers)**

**Author's note:** I LIVE!

Now bringing you: Chapter 12! Yes! Took long enough, I know. There's a lot of info in this chapter so bare with me. It skips around a lot. "Present" story time moments are inclosed within borders that look like this: X*X*X, (basically if it has Rogue in it, because that's when she shows up in the chapter) while "flashbacks" are just with lines.

I finally come out and say what Leo's past was so be happy.

**Read, review, enjoy.**

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><p>X*X*X<p>

Rogue was engulfed in another nightmare.

She'd been having similar ones over the past two weeks, but this was the clearest it had been.

Her consciousness slipped into whosever's memories it was and she saw it through their eyes.

Rogue turned the corner in a haste, running toward her house. She was hoping to see its white siding and tiled roof intact, but what she saw caused anger and fear to flow through her blood.

The house was a blazing furnace. Flames spiraled up the walls and burst through the windows.

"No!" She roared in a gruff voice that wasn't her own, stopping her charge. She fell to her knees and clutched her head in her hands. The rage and loss was so deafening she was unable to place the familiar voice that called her name.

She lifted her head and gazed at the stars.

"What did I do to deserve this!" She called.

Her ears twitched as she heard laughter behind the house. Even though it was nearly pitch-black, the house served as a lantern, plus oddly enough she had sufficient night-vision, and she saw three teenagers standing in the dark tree line. An entire forest sat directly behind her house. Rogue recognized them from school (not Bayville, but the school of the memories' owners); the three were guys who didn't make the soccer team because of her.

They cackled in the darkness, causing more rage to course through her veins.

Rogue felt the presence of intense animal instincts that she'd only experienced once before. The animal tore its way to the surface and took over.

The familiar voice called out again, but she wasn't listening. She couldn't hear them, the crackling fire, or the fire trucks and hoses; all she could hear was the malicious laughter.

She growled and charged toward them. They turned and saw her, then fled into the woods.

The teens were fast, but she was faster and more agile. Predator and prey crashed through the underbrush until the teens reached a large clearing. The teens, out of breath, stopped. One with ginger hair and a long arching nose turned to the other two with brown hair.

"I… think… we lost 'im." He gasped, hands on his knees.

"What the Hell was that?" The slightly taller brown-haired teenager asked.

Rogue felt her body tense, it would be a perfect time to spring from the shadows, but something told her not to. The animal receded half-way in question, then backed away from her mind as it realized it and she had the same motive: revenge.

With a swift bound, Rogue landed on a large tree branch silently. She extended her claws and dug them into the bark as an anchor.

The teenagers below continued talking.

"It was some-sorta were-lion or something!" The other teen with brown hard said. He also had freckles that barely showed in the low light. "Was it a mutie?"

"Probably." The ginger one sneered. "No wonder we lost it, it had a mutie's intelligence!" The three laughed.

"Man that should teach the mutant to mess with us though!" The freckled kid said, punching the air.

The orange one turned with a wicked smile on his face. "Told ya, a couple of fireworks and homemade flamethrowers never fail." He gestured to the item strapped to his back. "Just doin' our job as humans, we have to make sure the muties are eradicated. Looks like we took at least one out today!"

Anger swelled in Rogue's chest. She'd heard enough. With a wild roar she leapt to the ground, landing with a muffled thump.

In a whirl she slashed the two brown-haired teens with her claws, leaving their sides bloody, their faces bewildered, and tossed each into a tree with tremendous force. There was a sickening crash when each hit their target.

The last teen turned to run, but with cat-like agility Rogue blocked his path. She kicked out his legs, causing him to fall backwards. Before he could get up or scramble away she brought her foot down at full force on his left leg and was rewarded with a spine-chilling crunch. The teen cried out in pain and grabbed his calf.

A grotesque smile inched its way across Rogue's face.

"Not too bad for a stupid mutie, huh?" She growled gruffly. Rogue suddenly recognized whose voice was hers and felt a great need to back out of the dream.

_No _she whispered to herself, but there was no stopping what was happening. Her consciousness slipped out of the body and she watched the horror before her.

The light from the dim moon and the blazing house fire slightly illuminated the features of the mutant. He stood menacingly over the boy on the ground, the dim light glinting off his canines. There was no mistaking the golden fur, shark-tooth necklace, nor the firey mane; it was Leo.

"Please, whoever you are, have mercy!" The boy groveled.

Leo laughed. "You don't recognize me, slime?" He shifted back to human. "How bout now?" He growled, lifting the other teen off the ground. The poor light flickered dangerously across Leo's face.

"HAVE MERCY?" Leo roared, shifting back to lion. "Did _you _have mercy on my parents?" The ginger boy whined. "Did _**you **_care if THEY burned?"

"Y-you can't be alive! You-you were in that house!" The teen sobbed.

Leo grabbed him by the throat with his right hand and shoved him against a tree. Pressing his face close he whispered, "You may have failed to kill me, but I will not fail to kill you." With his left hand he ran his pointer finger's claw along the kid's jawline.

"Mercy?" Leo scoffed. "You don't deserve it." The kid's eyes were wide in terror, and sweat beaded off his forehead. "You deserve to roast slowly like my parents, but I'll give you the best I can. The best I can do is a swift death." Leo growled.

Rogue watched as his eyes grew stony, the ice cold animal rage returned and sprung at the teen. He sliced the kid's right arm with his claws then pulled him into a Bane-type move. Leo threw the kid in the air, caught him, and snapped his spine over his knee like a twig. The teen fell to the ground limply, his face dark.

Blood dripped from his claws. With a start Leo glanced down at himself and noticed the blood all over his shirt.

He shifted back to human and stumbled back. He let out an anguished cry full of pain and anger.

Rogue snapped up in bed also screaming and covered in sweat. Two other voices cried out in unison from elsewhere in the mansion.

X*X*X

* * *

><p>"You wanted to see me, Professor Xavier?" Leo said, walking into the professor's large study. His voice was raspy and hoarse, and there were dark bags under his eyes. His long night was to account for his exhaustion, but he had also had a long second day of school.<p>

"Why, yes Leo. Please come in, take a seat." The professor remained behind his desk, framed against the huge windows.

Leo sat in one of the chairs across from him and looked expectantly at the professor. Long moments of silence followed as Leo waited for the professor to speak.

"Look, professor, before we start with this can I ask you something?" Leo asked.

"Of course."

"See, I'm taking jazz band, and I was wondering if the Institute could supply me with a trumpet. Mine got destroyed in the house fire." Leo said excitedly.

The professor looked up at the young mutant. "I wasn't aware you could play the trumpet."

A grin crossed Leo's face, "Yeah, I'm pretty good at it."

Charles chuckled. "Then of course we can buy you a trumpet."

The silence extended again as the conversation ended.

Finally the professor spoke. "You haven't been yourself lately, have you Leo?"

"No, sir."

"And Magneto?" Leo took a deep breath and braced himself for the question. "He pushed your limits of control, caused you to act irrationally," Xavier said, finally looking up at Leo. "What did he say?"

He sighed. "You know, I think I let us get off on the wrong foot professor."

"What?" Professor X asked confused.

"I haven't been trusting you fully with the truth since you tried to pry into my mind on my first day here. Now I realize you were just tryin' to help me out. I've been reacting immaturely. I'm sorry."

The professor's eyebrows rose inches into his forehead. "There's no need to apologize Leo, but I'm glad you're finally opening up. Now, about Magneto…"

"Uh, yeah." Leo mumbled. He sucked in a deep breath. "I've had my powers for as long as I can remember, so I'd always be experimenting with what I could do. By the time the mutant incident came into light I was fully able to use my shift. Earlier this year, March to be exact, I revealed that I was a mutant to the entire student body of my last school." He smiled regretfully. "I'd call it an arrogant mistake now. That was the real start of the bullying, but several groups knew before that. I initially made the soccer team, over several humans. Three of them took it upon themselves to make me pay for taking their slots. They torched my house. That's what Magneto was asking me."

The professor tapped his head. "Do you mind?"

Leo shook his head, "No, the welcome mat is out."

Charles chuckled. "Just think of last night when you fought Magneto. I'd like to see it through your eyes."

Leo shut his eyes and pictured the scene. The professor slipped into his mind and gently walked through his memories.

"_There's so much more you can do with your powers, Leo." Magneto said soothingly. "You don't have to serve a human lover. We as mutants should be above that." _Charles wasn't surprised to see Magneto to refer to him as a human lover. Since Magneto was only about mutant supremacy, anyone who treated humans as equals were scum.

_Leo snarled and leapt at Magneto. "Who the hell are you?"_

"_Think of me as kin." Magneto said, sidestepping Leo. "Since all of your family is dead."_

_Leo spun around and slashed his claws at the magnetic mutant. Renewed anger pulsed through his veins. "How do you know about my family?" He said, stopping._

_Magneto brushed some dust off his shoulder armor. "Oh I know a lot about you Leo Dyson. Your brother Tyler has been trapped in your house in shame for two years because of his mutation. Your adopted brother Benjamin Dents caused his parents' car accident. Then there's you Leo." He said softly, coming very close to the lion. "You have your own dark side, don't you? What exactly happened to those teenagers who set your house on fire? Where are they now?"_

"_Stop it. STOP IT! You don't know ANYTHING about me!" Leo roared_.

Charles snapped his head back as Leo's emotions got the better of him. Leo sniffed. He rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Sorry, I just… let's try again." He said.

The professor shook his head, "No, I've seen all I needed to. But I have to ask, what did happen? You don't have to tell me now."

"No, I-I will." Leo took a deep breath. "I lost control… they're dead."

* * *

><p>Logan walked to the professor's office to talk about Leo's "excursion". When he got there, Leo exited the office and smiled at Logan.<p>

"How goes it Logan?" He asked.

"Fine, kid." Logan replied in his typical gruff demeanor. Leo nodded and walked down the hall.

Logan opened the door and greeted the professor. "Hey, Chuck. Got a minute?"

"Of course Logan."

"We may need to go to Cerebro for this one."

Charles raised an eyebrow, but rolled out from behind his desk anyways.

When they reached Cerebro, Logan closed the doors behind them and folded his arms over his chest.

"Remember nine or ten years ago, the failed recruitment of a mutant who called herself 'Clay Dune'?" Wolverine asked bluntly.

Xavier creased his forehead then nodded. "Ah, yes… Clay Dune." He turned to the computer's controls. "Cerebro: access File Number 0571, codename Dune." He commanded.

Cerebro responded with a whirl and a mechanical female voice that said: "File accessed. Authorization required."

This time Logan spoke to Cerebro. "Authorization code oh-nine, voice command Wolverine." He snarled.

The computer answered with a '_bing' _and a picture and text were pulled up on the gigantic screen

The picture was of a stony-faced little girl, maybe seven years old, with blonde hair tied back in a low ponytail, neon green eyes, gray-tinged skin, a tan T-shirt, and jeans. There was a Swiss army knife strapped to her thigh and sneakers on her feet.

The file was ten years old and contained little information on the girl.

"_Name: Unknown_

_Mutant name: Clay Dune_

_Last location: Outside Loop City, Nebraska_

_Abilities: Cellular metamorphous. Non X-Gene related seer."_ Cerebro stated.

Professor Xavier sighed. "You brining this file back up can't be good."

" 'Fraid not Chuck." Logan sighed. "That girl has a unique scent I'll never forget. Hard not to when they pound your face with it…" He grumbled. "When we finally caught up with Leo last night, someone had just left his company. It was her. I have no doubt 'bout it."

Professor Xavier folded his hands under his chin. "This is worrying. The girl vanished for ten years, then shows up to talk to Leo? It makes no sense."

"I don't understand it either, Chuck." Logan grumbled. "But whatever her reasons, they couldn't have been good."

"I imagine not."

* * *

><p>X*X*X<p>

"Rogue!" Kitty's worried voice burst through the wall as she phased into the Goth's room.

Rogue sat on her bed, a hand on her head, shaking, and drenched in sweat.

Kitty ran up to her and laid a hand on Rogue's shoulder. This was possibly the worst Kitty had ever seen her. The closest was when Rogue had the dream about Mystique and Kurt, but even that was light-years away.

"What happened?"

Rogue lifted her head a little. "Ah-ah can't say."

"Like, what do you mean, you can't say?" Kitty asked.

"It ain't mah thing ta share." Rogue muttered, rubbing her head.

X*X*X

* * *

><p>The school bell rang and a swarm of teenagers filled the halls. Kitty emerged from her class room and caught a glance of a mullet making its way through the crowd.<p>

"Lance!" She called.

He cringed and turned around at his locker. Lance had been successfully avoiding Kitty for the past five periods, a skill that was more difficult that it sounded.

"Oh… hey Kitty." Lance said half-heartedly.

"You've been, like, avoiding me all day!" Kitty shouted accusingly.

"And yesterday…" he muttered.

"Yeah! What's up with that? What's wrong?" Kitty asked.

Lance opened his locker and grabbed a book. "Nothing."

Kitty blocked his locker with her arm. "Lance. Then why are you avoiding me?"

Lance looked up to the ceiling like he was asking it for help. "I was just afraid-"

"That I'd ask about what the Brotherhood is up to?" Kitty finished. "Come on Lance!"

Lance looked at Kitty dumbfounded, "You _weren't _gonna ask what we're doin'?"

Kitty looked off into the hall. "No… I never said I wasn't. But I won't if you don't want me to, you know?"

He smirked. "That's the Kitty I know!" He glanced around. "Listen, we can talk about this later. Somewhere else. With what Magneto has planned things are about to get harsh."

"Alright." Kitty said, leaning in and kissing him. She smiled as she walked down the hall.

* * *

><p>Leo grabbed his books for his locker, preparing for a late night of studying. He groaned as he shoved them into his backpack and slung it over his shoulder.<p>

The hallways were mostly empty (seriously who would want to hang around school when they didn't have to?), but a few jocks were in a circle at the end of the hall.

Not wanting to get involved with them, Leo began walking the other way. Then he heard a soft female voice from within the circle. The jocks were laughing, Leo halted and turned around.

"Come on, you're a pretty girl, why don't you want to go out with me?" One jock asked; Leo recognized him as Keith Lerry, one of the jocks from the zoo.

Leo approached slowly, listening in on the conversation.

The small girl answered, "Not interested." Leo stopped as he took in her appearance. The girl was barely five foot, and had dirty blonde hair pulled into a ponytail, she wasn't the prettiest girl but her plain features were appealing. There was something interesting about her he got from just looking at her.

Keith, the jock with black hair, reached at the girl and grabbed her shoulder. "Why not?" He growled.

The girl avoided her eyes from the imposing guy and responded with "Guys aren't really my thing."

The jock recoiled like she was on fire. Repugnance struck his face, "Now you _need _to go out with me. You lesbian need someone to straighten you out!" He grabbed her harshly this time and a gasp escaped her lips.

"Hey!" Leo shouted, running into the jumble. The other jocks backed up from him, but Keith stood and glared with a hand on the girl. "Let go of her." He commanded.

Keith laughed. "And what are you going to do about it if I don't?"

Leo held up his fist. "I'll make you."

"Yeah, right!" Keith turned to his buddies and they all laughed. "Listen to this guy! 'Or I'll make you.' Please! You couldn't beat a girl scout." He mocked.

The blood pressure in Leo rose a tad, but he kept things under control by allowing a snarl to escape his mouth. The jocks took a few more steps back. Keith looked at Leo's "belt" then back at him.

"You're a mutant!" He said with distaste. He shoved the girl to Leo. "Take her, I don't need to get involved with another one of Darth's _pets. _Watch yourself, if we meet outside school…" Keith pounded his fist into his hand and stalked off with his buddies.

Leo watched him leave then looked down at the girl he now held in his arms. Awkwardly he separated himself from her and spoke, "Uh, hi! I'm Leo." He braced himself for some sorta mutant comment.

None came.

Instead the girl solemnly looked at him and said, "Ashley Wolfe. Thank you."

"No problem. Full name: Leo C. Dyson. You don't have a problem with mutants?" She shook her head. Leo grinned. "Great! And I don't have a problem with lesbians, looks like we're gonna get along swimmingly!"

He expected Ashley to smile, but was surprised when she didn't. A smile-like glow reached her eyes, but went no farther. Leo shrugged it off; maybe that was just how the girl was.

"Allow me the pleasure of escorting you out, Miss Wolfe." Leo said with overly obvious charm.

He led her out past an adjacent hallway where a group of mismatch teens stood. He didn't notice them, but as he passed, they emerged from the shadows.

One was Claire Darth, and another was Enrique Oculto. Standing beside them was a tan-skinned girl with dark brown messy hair and pointed ears, as well as a remarkably skinny boy with black hair and pale pasty skin.

The look on Claire's face was unreadable, some sort of mix of arrogant pride, admiration, and anger.

"Well that was… unexpected." Claire said in a dull and tired monotone.

A smile flashed across Enrique's face, hiding the dark bags under his eyes. "Would be a nice addition to the team."

"Squad." Claire corrected. Her brilliant green eyes seemed duller, and there was an obvious air of exhaustion. "Xander, you wanna just keep an eye on them? We'll get your body home."

The dark-haired teen nodded. He took a stance with his legs spread out, when the girl with messy brown hair put a hand on his shoulder.

"Come on, Clay." She said, turning to Claire. "Anyone else can do the same job without putting them in danger. Why not you or Enrique, or even me?"

Claire's left eye twitched, then she smiled. "You're right Zen. That was an ignorant call on my part. I'll keep an eye on them." She turned to the black-haired teen. "Sorry Xander."

Xander shrugged, "No prob Clay."

"Alright, Portia got called in to do some work for Jaller's squad, so find something to do for an hour or two. Catch ya later." Claire said, backing up and spinning around. She strutted out the doors with utter confidence.

Xander looked at the other two. "Wanna hit the arcade?"

"Sure."

"¡Vamonos!"

* * *

><p>X*X*X<p>

"What do you mean, it's not your to, like, tell? It was _your _dream!" Kitty argued softly.

"Yeah, but they aren't mah memories…" There was a long pause. "…they were Leo's."

"What happened?"

Rogue took a shaky breath. "Ah won't reveal 'em, ya'll hafta ask Leo."

Just then there was a tentative knock on the door.

"Rogue?" A sweet voice asked. It was Jean.

Rogue's face soured like curdled milk. "Lord help me, why did she hafta be the first?" She picked herself up a bit more and called out. "Go away!"

"Yeah, like that's gonna help." Kitty muttered.

There was another knock, but this time the voice was Storm's. "Are you all right, child?"

Rogue grimaced; she didn't want to have to lie to Storm. Before she could answer a pain in her head split her skull. More of Leo's memories flooded in.

"Kitty, get the professor, **now.**" Rogue groaned.

X*X*X

* * *

><p>Tyler loved going to work. The two years he spent locked in his house had made him forget that. At the office building there were people to talk to, just feet away, and there were girls. Not a lot, but there were some, and Tyler had forgotten how much he loved to see them too.<p>

There was a block of cubicles, with his in the middle. He leaned back in the ergonomic, cushy chair and smiled, another luxury he missed. The image inducer masked his shark teeth as perfectly normal human teeth.

"Hey Ty, how's it goin'? Not taking a break already are we?" A blonde haired coworker asked from above the cubicle wall. The coworker rolled his chair over to continue conversing.

"No, I was just sitting back and admiring the graphics." Ty joked, gesturing to his screen. The character on it ran in place them seemingly exploded, his arms and legs detaching from his body.

"That's… disturbing." The coworker said with a laugh.

"Yeah, I don't know, it works for a while then BLAM! You have detachable limb-man." Ty answered.

The coworker shrugged and looked at Ty's image inducer/watch in amazement. "Woah, where'd you get that spiffy thing?"

Ty frowned, trying to think of a reasonable lie. When he did he flung his arm back by accident and crashed the image inducer into the desk. Sparks flew and a tiny electric current ran down Ty's arm.

It was a strange sensation of absorbing the power, but this time something was different, and Ty hated when that happened.

The air around him appeared to sizzle as the hologram melted away. Where average-Joe Ty with short brown hair, pale skin, and human teeth was now demonic in appearance Spades. His gray polo and black slacks caused his red skin to appear even brighter.

The coworker stumbled back and toppled his chair over in an effort to get away.

"Y-you're a mutant!" He screamed.

Spades reached out his hand to help his coworker to get up, but fire seemingly unraveled from his fingertips and ignited the air around them. The coworker screamed again, and Spades yanked his hand back to his chest.

Other programmers had taken notice. One threw a stapler at Spades. He ducked and glanced around scared.

"Get out mutie!"

"Haul that mutated ass of yours out of here!"

"Mr. Dyson." A stern voice said. It was Ty's boss, a carefree looking man with dark curly hair. "Your services here are no longer required."

Spades gulped and shoved his things into a backpack and ran out the doors.

Faster than he'd run on a regular basis, he fled to his motorcycle. With a roar it started up and he flew down the streets at a speed that was anything but street-legal.

The late morning sun beat down on Spades, heating his skin even more.

When he reached the Institute the gates opened and he sped inside. He carelessly parked the bike in the garage and threw his half-melted helmet across the lawn.

Standing in his work clothes on the lawn, Spades reached his arms up and felt the release of power. A magnificent fireball tore from his outstretched hands into the sky.

Tyler sank to his knees and gazed at the scorched ground.

"Tyler? What are you doing back so early?" The professor asked as he wheeled out onto the top of the mansion's steps. He looked up and witnessed the retreating fireball into the atmosphere. "Oh, Tyler… What happened?"

"I got fired." Ty choked. He stood and pointed to the fried remains of his image inducer. "I bumped this and it failed. Just when I thought things would get better!" Ty shouted. He turned from the professor and glared at the ground. "Just as I started to think humans weren't all that bad. My faith was almost restored in them… but now? _No sé." (I don't know)_

Professor Xavier frowned, then extended his hand. "No matter what they say or do, you will always have the X-Men here to fall back on." Ty smiled a small toothless smile and took his hand. "Come, let's continue this inside."

* * *

><p>X*X*X<p>

"Runt!" Logan roared at the closed door of the two brothers' room.

The door flew open and a worried looking Benj stood in the gap. His blonde hair was flopped around his face.

Wordlessly he gestured for Logan to come inside and closed the door behind him.

"What was with the screaming?" Logan asked gruffly. Then he noticed Leo.

Leo sat on his own bed on the right in a similar position to how Rogue had looked when Kitty came in. His head was in his hands; he was shaking and covered in sweat. His red hair was plastered to the top of his head.

"Logan…" Benj said, trying to diffuse the situation. He had shared Leo's dream with him through the empathy link they had, and was startled by the sudden awakening. Somehow, Benj just knew that Rogue had been sharing the dream as well.

_More like a nightmare. _Benj thought to himself.

"Rogue…!" Leo moaned. He looked up at the man he held so much respect for. "I'm so sorry, Logan. You're gonna hate me."

Logan frowned and faced the young mutant with his arms crossed. "Hate ya? Nah, it'd take a lot more than waking me from my beauty sleep to hate you."

The teen shook his head. "It wasn't that, it's what I _DID. _I-" He took a deep breath, shaking more now. "-I killed somebody Logan. I killed three somebodies."

The gruff man stared at him for a long moment. "Was it anyone I know?" Leo looked puzzled but shook his head. "Then I don't care." Logan said roughly.

"You don't?"

Logan chuckled. "You think I never killed somebody, runt? It _happens."_

Leo continued to stare at his mentor in disbelief. This wasn't something anyone would expect to hear out of an X-Man's mouth.

Benj stepped forward into the midst of the two mutants. "Uh… Logan? We might want to check on Rogue."

Whirling around Logan came inches away from Benj's face. "And why is that?"

The blonde teen gulped and answered. "'Cause she just saw what Leo did. I doubt she's handling it well."

"Three screams, three people." Leo muttered.

The three tore out of the room and through a confused and groggy crowd of X-Men.

Scott rubbed his eyes and called after them. "Hey! Where are you going? What happened?" He followed after them.

They reached Rogue's door, which was in the girls' wing (a long ways by the way), out of breath. Jean and Storm stood outside the door.

"What's goin' on?" Logan asked hastily.

Storm shook her head. "I don't know, Kitty just phased out the door to get the professor. Rogue's refusing to let anyone in."

Benj walked up to the door and knocked. "Rogue? It's Benj… what's going on?"

Silence.

He began to turn away then he felt an urgent prick in his mind. He opened it and Rogue's thoughts invaded his. She was making mental contact through the haze.

'_Benj… dream… Leo's memories… the professor… where is-?'_

'_Coming, hold on. We're coming in.' _Benj answered back and closed mental contact. He nodded to Logan, who threw himself heavily at the door. The wood stood no chance against his intense strength, and cracked inward.

The professor appeared that second. Logan cleared the way and led Xavier in. Rogue was still sitting on her bed, but she clutched her head again and seemed to be fighting unseen enemies.

He placed his hand by her head and focused. Xavier stopped the stream of memories and helped close Rogue's mind to Leo's. She slumped back on her pillow exhausted.

Professor X turned to Benj and Leo. "It's like there was some type of empathy link. I believe those are your specialty, Benj."

Benj frowned and closed his eyes. When he reopened them they glowed pink. He saw the empathy link cord that stretched between Rogue, Leo, and himself. Carefully maneuvering his hands he grasped the purple tinged cord and the gold cord it was intertwined with. With a swift movement he severed the cords and watched as they dissolved into mist. He shut his eyes again and nodded at the professor.

"Fixed. I don't know how it happened." Benj muttered gazing at Rogue's still form.

Leo sighed. "I don't think I can keep this in the dark any more, sir. I can't ask Rogue to keep the secret for me."

Charles nodded. "Of course, whatever you feel like you have to do. Would you like to make an announcement tomorrow?"

"Yeah…" Leo sighed. Luckily it was a Friday, mornings could be more flexible.

'_Students, and teachers, Leo has an announcement to make tomorrow morning. Everyone be in the common room by nine.' _Xavier said mentally to everyone in the mansion.

"Cat's out of the bag." Benj said solemnly, as he turned back to the hallway.

* * *

><p>"…I hadn't quite realized what I did til then. But it was too late to change it, they were dead." Leo said with a serious tone. He looked at several of the X-Men gathered in the common room, but they all turned away. He sighed. In or out of the bag, his secret destroyed things.<p>

The bombshell had been dropped. Professor Xavier excused everyone to leave and turned to the adults left in the room.

"Well, Chuck. The bomb's been dropped. The worst has come." Logan grunted.

Charles rubbed his chin. "One would think so, but in my experience? More damage is done from the shrapnel."

* * *

><p><strong>Who's ready for part two: Shrapnel? <strong>

Now for Haven count: There's two more OCs to appear, and have no fear they will. Oh, and Portia is Portal's name, yes she was named after Brutus' wife.

Claire is Clay, as many have figured out, and she has a complicated past. Her past is possibly more important than Leo's, and she'll be popping up more and more.

I could say more in this author's note but I really wanted to get this out to you, so stay tuned to see just how painful the shrapnel can be.


	14. Chapter 13: Shrapnel

**Disclaimer: The X-Men aren't mine, they're Marvel's. The characters of Benj, Ty/Spades, Leo, and both Darths are of my imagination.**

**Author's** **note: **HA! TAKE THAT! Oh, wait...

Yes! Chapter 13: Shrapnel is here. Now I realize the quote at the beginning differes slightly from the one Xavier ended with in chapter 12, I just have to go back and change that. I don't think I need to explain much up here because following this chapter will be an update on what you should be paying attention to. Now, due to the onset of... MORE PROJECTS! I will be posting again, in about 2 weeks (nooo!). Thanks to my lovely and wonderful reviewers and those silent readers who are reading, just not letting me know. Hang in there and Kitsune will be in the next one, I SWEAR! (okay, most likely.)

**Read, review, enjoy, and support the BAND!** (no I don't know why I said that...)

* * *

><p>"…In my experience, it isn't the bombshell that causes the most damage, but the shrapnel it creates."<p>

* * *

><p>Leo snatched his sketchbook off his nightstand. He was going to need it. He had a feeling in the pit of his stomach that the students would say things, and he needed a way to calm himself down.<p>

Of course, biting his thumb at a few wouldn't hurt either.

It was going to be one Hell of a long Saturday.

* * *

><p>"How come we're just finding out about this now?" Bobby complained, frustrated. "I mean, the guy's been livin' here for over a month and only now he tells us he's a killer?"<p>

Another 'new mutants' meeting was being held in the Rec Room. Bobby, Ray, Sam, Amara, Tabitha, Roberto, and Jamie sat in a lopsided circle of couches and pulled up chairs. Jamie sat a little ways off from the rest of the older mutants and was mostly observing. He wasn't quite sure what to think, he still liked Leo, but this new development threw a twist into their friendship.

"Man, I _knew _there was something off about him!" Ray growled.

Tabitha scoffed at the two's testosterone filled anger. "Yeah right Ray, you had no clue like the rest of us."

"He's still the same Leo."

All eyes turned to Amara who made the quiet comment. She blushed and looked away.

"The same Leo? The dude killed three people!" Bobby yelled. "That's _not_ the Leo I knew!"

Amara stood her ground and shouted back angrily. "He'd already done that before! He never changed! Leo didn't just come here and then start killing! It was his past!"

"Woo! Go Amara!" Tabitha laughed. "I'd hafta agree with my girl on this one. Leo's still the same Leo."

"Yeah, but who was that Leo to begin with?" Ray asked darkly.

The silence extended out onto the group, until a voice shattered it.

"Leo kinda scares me now." Jamie muttered quietly. The older mutants looked at the kid. Jamie was sad and stared off into the distance.

Roberto stood and knelt next to Jamie. "He scares me a little bit too, but maybe we just need to give him another chance. He hasn't done anything to us yet." Roberto said gently for Jamie's sake.

Ray's eyes started glowing a little greener. "Hasn't done anything? I seem to remember him almost **KILLING ME** in a D.R. session!" He yelled.

The group erupted into arguments.

"Oh he barely touched you Ray-Ray." Tabitha said nonchalantly.

"Barely touched me?" Ray shouted. "The dude nearly sliced me to pieces!"

"He couldn't control his powers then." Amara argued.

Ray threw his hands up. "Exactly! He doesn't have enough control!"

"One of us is going to end up diced, and me personally? I'd rather not be ice cubes." Bobby yelled into the din.

The noise grew even louder as the teens got into more heated debate, though to anyone listening on the outside it just sounded like a bunch of nonsense words.

The door to the Rec Room opened with a tiny creak that caused everyone to go silent. All eyes in the room turned to the figure in the doorway.

His red hair was spiked and the tips newly dyed. A shark tooth necklace hung from his neck and stood out against the white T-shirt and khaki shorts. A pencil was slipped behind his ear. It was Leo.

From the moment he opened the door he knew that they were talking about him. Leo turned and left. He had no need to explain himself further.

"Leo!" Amara called after him as she got up.

Tabitha ran after her friend. "Amara, wait!"

When the two were just outside the Rec Room Tabitha grabbed Amara's arm.

"Hold on there girly. I think Leo just needs some time alone." Tabitha commented.

Amara shook her head. "No, what he needs is a friend."

Tabitha sighed. "I don't doubt that, but let's give him time to cool down."

"More like time to simmer! Come on Tabitha!" Amara shouted, beginning to turn away.

Tabitha reached out and forced the girl to connect her brown eyes with her blue ones.

"Listen to me Amara. Yes, he needs someone next to him, but we need to be careful. He's really on edge right now. You can go, but I'm comin' with you." Tabitha said softly.

Amara threw her arms around her friend. "Thanks Tabitha."

"Yeah…" Tabitha whispered as Amara let go and started down the hall. Tabitha rubbed her arm then shook off the feeling she got. With a laugh she took off after Amara.

"Hey, I'll race you!"

* * *

><p>Leo stormed down the hallway, and then stopped. The anger was building in him, and if he didn't let it go soon he was going to explode.<p>

_What had I expected? _He yelled in his mind. _Things were going to change!_ He punched the wall, leaving a dent and several cracks. He took a deep breath and rested his head against the cool beige paint.

Hearing footsteps he lifted his head. Nearby were Tabitha and Amara. They approached in a hurry.

"Leo…" Amara started.

Leo held up his hand. "Don't start. Thank you, but… I think I just need some time while this blows over."

"If you need to talk, we'll be there for you, kitten." Tabitha said.

Leo chuckled. What had he done to deserve such a nickname? "Thanks Tabs." His face brightened. "Actually, do you mind doing something for me?"

They nodded. "What is it?"

"I need you two to pose for me." Leo answered. "I want to expand my sketch portfolio, and since I'll probably be spending a lot of time alone I could use some good models." He grinned.

The two giggled. "Finally taking me up on my offer, eh?" Tabitha laughed.

Leo feigned mock horror. "Oh no, not that Tabs! You two have a Danger Room session this afternoon right?" They nodded. "Great! I'll get some action shots there then."

* * *

><p>Scott and Jean sat at the small table in the kitchen.<p>

Absent-mindedly Scott picked at his pancake. The news of Leo had been very shocking for him. He considered himself to be a good judge of character and very observant. How come he never sensed anything was wrong before?

Maybe he just hadn't spent that much time with the teen. After he'd first arrived Scott became busy with school. There'd been a few Danger Room sessions, but other than that? Scott and Leo never clicked.

Scott was a bit of a stick-in-the-mud for rules and order; Leo was more of a free flowing spirit like Tabitha, he observed the rules but made his own way through them.

Scott sighed and half-heartedly ate a piece of pancake.

Jean glanced over at him, sensing his inner struggle. She put a hand on his shoulder.

"No one knew about this, you didn't have anything to do with it Scott." She said sweetly.

He turned his eyes from the pancake to her beautiful face. "I know it's just… sometimes you think you should have."

Jean reached out and brushed a strand of hair from his glasses. "How would you have? Even the professor had no idea."

Scott paused then sat up straight in his chair and looked seriously at Jean. "Do you think it's safe to have him here?"

She frowned and pondered the question. On one hand she believed he needed to go, but on the other she was that he needed to stay. Leo was broken and needing a place to call home. His parents died because of what he was. All he had done was sought revenge. He got it, but at what price?

"I don't know." She answered truthfully. "It's not up for us to decide anyways… it's the professor's choice. Leo needs us here."

Scott nodded. "I guess if he left so would his brothers." His face darkened. "And who better to find them than Magneto. No, I wouldn't enjoy fighting them. They've earned my trust before."

* * *

><p>The morning sun sparkled in the pool's reflection. Benj sat on the edge and dangled his feet over the side. He watched in reverie as the small movements created ripples across the calm surface.<p>

Things were starting to take a chaotic turn. Every X-Man was pondering what Leo had said. Benj had known long before, he'd kept the secret. Things finally started looking up when they got to the Xavier Institute. Like maybe they could place their pasts behind them.

Benj snorted. _Yeah right. _Things always had a way of resurfacing.

A fuzzy blue head appeared in the pool reflection.

"Hey Benj, have you seen Tyler?" Kurt asked.

Benj turned around. Rogue stood next to Kurt. The three made an odd scene. Kurt was wearing a red long sleeve shirt and jean shorts (and he was _blue_); Rogue wore a gray zip-up hoodie, a tight purple shirt, and leather pants; while Benj sat there with only a pair of green swim trunks on, exposing his still heavily bruised chest and stomach.

The blonde shook his head. "Haven't really seen Ty too much."

"I know, I'm starting to get worried." Kurt said. "I haven't seen him in like three days!"

Benj grimaced. Ty was shutting down again. "It's been five for me. I think he's holed up in his room."

"Getting' fired really got ta him, didn't it?" Rogue asked.

Gritting his teeth, Benj answered. "Yeah. His job was the last tie he had to the real world, the normal world, where he was human."

Kurt's gold eyes flashed about in worry. "I'm going to go see if I can find him."

"Good luck." Benj wished whole-heartedly as Kurt ported out.

Rogue slipped off her clunky leather boots and set them aside. She sat down on Benj's left and looked into the pool.

"How are ya holdin' up?" She asked.

A long sigh escaped Benj's lips. It was like he'd been holding his breath until someone asked him that. "I should be asking you the same thing. Me? I'm fine… avoiding people…"

Rogue turned and looked at him. She could tell that he was in turmoil, more so than Leo. His turquoise eyes flashed at odd moments like he was wrestling with something within him.

"Don't lie ta me Benjamin Dents."

He sighed again and looked at his toes. Pain from a long ago wound caused him to grasp his side. The scar was still there, from when Ray shot him from his skateboard.

Rogue looked worriedly at where Benj held his hands.

Gently, she pried them off and looked at the scar herself. It was a kinda off-sided sunburst; the scar was a light brown against his normally pale skin (though currently it was still marbled with bruises). He looked down at her gloved hands. She pressed one against the scar.

Benj smiled to himself, he loved the feeling of leather against his skin. It was the only intimate touch he ever felt.

"A reminder," he said, "that things don't always go as planned."

"That seems ta be happenin' a lot lately." Rogue muttered. She withdrew her hand from his side and looked at his face. There was a light shadow under his eye from where he took a punch from Lucius. He turned and met her eyes.

"I'm a fool sometimes, Rogue."

She laughed. "Ah know that."

Benj scowled into her dazzling green eyes. "Yeah, I fell for you." He received a shove for his comment. "Oh, don't start Rogue, I'll push you right into this pool."

"Ya don't got the guts."

He shrugged. "We'll see about that." And grabbed Rogue around the shoulders. The two plummeted into the mansion's pool with a splash.

Rogue surfaced gasping next to a laughing Benj. "Damn ya Benj! These pants are leathah!"

"Leather! Leather, Rogue!" Benj teased.

She growled and dunked his head under. Benj rose back up and whipped his wet hair from his eyes. Using a mix of his power over air and actually hitting the water he splashed a huge wave at Rogue. She gasped as the water hit her hard and forced her under. When she came back up she growled.

"Ya're goin' ta pay for that!" Thus commenced the splashing war.

The two fought for nearly half an hour when they both dragged themselves from the pool exhausted.

Panting Benj rolled over onto his back. "H…had enough?"

Rogue followed suit. "Not even." She gasped.

Professor Xavier, Logan, Storm, and Beast watched the scene from the second story window of the professor's office. Logan leaned against Xavier's desk and drank his coffee from a mug that said "Toughest teacher". Storm and Beast both stood at opposite sides of the window and looked down at the couple.

"They seem pretty happy don't they?" Storm said.

Logan grunted. "That was more entertaining than what I was gonna watch on TV."

"You don't have a problem with this Logan?" Storm asked with a laugh.

A look of distaste spread across the gruff man's face. "Of course I have a problem with this!" Logan's face softened. "But, this is the happiest I've ever seen Rogue before. I guess she's old enough to decide for herself. Besides," he said chuckling, "it's not like Benj can get too close to her."

"Looks like they're finding a way." Beast said, pointing out the window. Logan ran over to see Rogue sitting on top of Benj. Both were laughing. Logan let out a low growl and clenched his fists. Suddenly Rogue stood up, grabbed Benj's arm, and flipped him into the pool. Logan unclenched his fists and burst out laughing.

"I don't think you have anything to worry about Logan." Professor Xavier said with a smile.

Beast turned from the window. "So… Leo?"

"I was not expecting the news from him at all." Storm said. "He seemed like such a nice young man."

"Still is." Logan said gruffly. "He didn't change; we just know more about him now."

Xavier leaned forward in his wheelchair. "True. I just hope the students can see it that way."

"I have a feeling some of them won't be able to." Beast said grimly.

* * *

><p>Kurt appeared outside Ty's room in a puff of smoke. He knocked on the closed door. When there was no answer he called out. "Hey Ty! You alive in there buddy?"<p>

"…Ty's not here." A voice said from inside.

Kurt shook his head. "I'm coming in Tyler." He disappeared and reappeared just inside the door of Ty's room.

While his eyes adjusted to the dim light in Ty's room, Kurt noticed a few things. The computer that usually sat illuminated in the corner now sat dormant, there were several half-melted pieces of plastic around the room, and scorch marks on the walls. Ty himself lay on his bed staring at the ceiling. He barely moved when Kurt ported in.

Benj knew what he was talking about when he said that Ty's world had collapsed.

"Ty, I can see you." Kurt said, trying to get a laugh out of the red mutant.

Ty stirred and sat up. Folding his legs he stared straight at Kurt. He was wearing just a black under armor shirt and black athletic shorts. "Not, here."

Kurt frowned and took a few steps farther into the room. "Ty, you can't hide in here forever."

"I just… I can't go back out there. I can't handle being a mutant in a world where they're hated and feared." Ty choked.

"You don't have to do this alone." Kurt came and stood at the foot of Ty's bed. "We all go out knowing people hate us more than anything. It takes a few to start the revolution. We'll do this as a team, Ty"

Ty looked up at the ceiling. "A team. A team that doesn't even trust my brother! He's probably the most faithful guy there is and half the students think he's waiting to turn!" He shook his head. "Well, they can't all be bad. Rogue, you, Scott, Jean even, you all are down with it."

"I wouldn't say 'down with it'. It kinda freaks me out, but I know Leo is a trustworthy and nice guy. I know what it's like to be persecuted, Ty."

Ty gnashed his teeth. "Don't call me that anymore. I can't keep a name to a world that won't accept me."

"What?" Kurt said puzzled. "But it's your name!"

"So is Spades." Ty said, dead set. He didn't want to keep any ties to his old life. If he was going to start new as a mutant, every human thing would have to go. Spades was a fitting name for him he thought. His tail snaked its way up and scratched his ear.

The elf didn't know what to say. Although he didn't like a lot of what humans thought, he never imaged rejecting that part of himself. No matter what, he was still human, whether or not he was blue.

As Kurt gaped at him Spades went on. "I was there that night too, you know? In fact, I was in the house…"

* * *

><p>X*X*X<p>

"_I was working on the new project the company had me start when I heard a crash and the sound of glass shattering…"_

Ty sat at his computer in a large beige colored room on the upper floor of the white house. He typed furiously away at the computer filling the room with a clicking noise. Then the sound of shattering glass below caught his attention.

"What the-?" He said, standing up. A female scream sounded from below as well as a steady stream of Spanish curses and prayers.

"Mom! Pablo!" Ty screamed, tearing out of the room.

As soon as he was out of the room another crash sounded from behind him. He whirled around to see his window broken open and a shrieking firecracker inside. It sputtered and exploded. Multi-colored light filled the room. Ty ducked as a screaming fireball flew overhead. It caught on the pictures and drapes, causing the flames to spread all throughout the room and hall.

Ty stood hurriedly and ran down the stairs. He didn't feel the heat, but he knew that his parents could. He ran toward the family room to see it engulfed in flames.

"Pablo!" He cried.

A deep Hispanic voice came from within. "Tyler!" The man coughed. Suddenly the man sprang from the flames carrying a woman over his shoulders.

It was the Hispanic man from the photo Ty gave to Forge to create the image inducer with. He had dark hair and dark skin, his shoulders were wide and despite being only 5'7" he was incredibly strong.

Ty choked on the smoke and helped Pablo toward the door. A support beam fell from the ceiling and crashed down in front of the door out.

"Damn it." Ty cursed. Pablo stumbled and coughed violently.

"The smoke, my lungs feel like they're on fire!" Pablo yelled.

Ty looked worriedly at him and glanced at the stairs which were yet to catch on fire. He grabbed Pablo around the waist and the woman, who was his mother. He ran up the stairs, surprised at his own strength and stamina. He tore into his parents' bedroom. There was a large window that overlooked the driveway. He set the two down and leaned against the wall.

"Just gotta wait for the fire department," he said to himself more than anyone else.

His mother's blonde hair was caked with blood and Pablo had several burns on his body. He lost consciousness from lack of sufficient air.

Ty sat for about five minutes then heard the sirens. The flames were now just outside the door. He looked out and saw the firemen scramble around with hoses.

He looked back at the door, it was now on fire. Ty swore under his breath and saw that though the firemen were fast, they wouldn't be fast enough.

Taking his parents under his arms he looked at the glass window. He was going to jump through it.

"This has got to be the worst idea ever." He muttered. Lowering his head and mumbling a prayer, he charged at the window.

Glass shattered around him and he flew through the air.

The firemen on the ground looked up to see the young man on fire falling to the ground. His legs peddled fast and he hit the ground hard.

Ty stood up in a crowd of bewildered firemen. His red skin and horns caused most to back away.

"These two need medical attention." He said firmly. When no one acted he shouted again. "These two are DYING!"

"What's going on?" A man with a booming voice asked. He pushed his way through several men. His dark skin and beard gave him a rough look, but his eyes were soft. "Get back to work, NOW!"

Men scrambled away back to their jobs. The man looked down at the two in Ty's arms.

"I got it, son."

X*X*X

* * *

><p>"Ty-Spades, I had no idea." Kurt said softly.<p>

Spades shrugged. "No one asked me." He flopped back down on his bed.

Kurt let an awkward silence extend. "Hey!" He said excitedly. "You know what would make you feel better? A nice Danger Room session!"

Spades sat back up and looked at the fuzzy blue elf like he was insane. "How would that make me feel better? I'd die."

Kurt shrugged. "It would snap you out of your funk though. Come on, I'll even join you buddy!"

"If you're willing to do that… I guess it's time I rejoined the world."

* * *

><p>"Alright runts." Wolverine growled. He sported his classic orange uniform, hood down. "You all can thank Kurt for the torture you're all about to endure." The students groaned and muttered things at Kurt, who stood next to Spades in the Danger Room control room. "The original session scheduled has been revamped to include EVERYONE. Again, you may thank Kurt."<p>

Wolverine glanced down at his clipboard then back around the room. All the X-Men and students were assembled in the cramped space. He frowned slightly when he noticed Benj was standing behind Rogue, and even more when he noticed Benj had his hand on her waist.

He shook his head and looked back down at the clipboard. "We're doin' one-on-one combat again today. First up is Spades and Cyclops. Go down there and first to surrender, quit, or get knocked out loses."

Spades had his hood down as a new embracement to his mutant life.

He smiled slightly as he realized that for once he had an upper hand. Scott couldn't hurt him with optic blasts, and would have to go hand-to-hand. Even then, Spades could use his powers when Scott could not.

Cyclops realized this too as they both descended in the elevator.

They took their spots and stances and waited for Wolverine's cue.

"GO!" Wolverine's voice yelled over the intercom.

Cyclops charged at Spades, who conjured fire around his hands and spread out in an arch. Cyclops had to duck under the flames to avoid being cooked, opening the way for Spades.

In a fury the red mutant grabbed Cyclops and threw him away. Heat was emitted from the mutant's body as he allowed Scott to come at him with his fists. The first he caught by the younger mutant's wrist, burning the skin under Scott's uniform.

Screaming in pain, Cyclops fumbled for his visor in reflex and blasted Spades. The red mutant was pushed back by the force, but was unharmed. More energy fueled his fire and he shot flames from his palms in all directions, forming a massive wall that Scott couldn't avoid.

"Oh no." Scott groaned as he covered his face. The flames overwhelmed him and knocked him to the ground.

Spades appeared over Scott as he opened his eyes behind his visor. "Wanna call it?" Spades taunted.

Cyclops tried to get up, only to be pressed down by a red-hot hand at his throat.

"Alright, that's enough." Wolverine said over the intercom.

Spades released Cyclops and offered his hand to help him up. "It's cool." He explained when Scott gave him a horrified look.

The two came back up the elevator in good spirits. Scott knew when he was beaten, and Spades was guaranteed to win on those fights.

"Next up is Iceman and Leo." Wolverine growled, using his gruffness to mask his amusement of Scott's failure.

Bobby stood up from where he was leaning against the controls. "Woah, woah, _woah._ I am **not** going to go anywhere near _him!_"

Leo growled. "Why not, can't handle it, popsicle?"

Iceman approached Leo. "I can handle it-"

"Well then what's wrong?"

"You _kill _people." Bobby said pointedly.

Benj grabbed his brother's arm as he lunged forward. No one had expected Spades would lunge as well.

Spades stopped inches from Iceman's face and gnashed his teeth in a shark-like way. "Despicable."

Iceman shoved him away. "What's your problem? You can't possibly be on the side of a guy who murders others!"

"He's my brother you dimwit!" Spades snarled.

Bobby was taken aback by Spades' sudden behavior change. The guy he had spent three weeks trying to get him out of his shell had just turned on him. He threw his arms out to the side. "We're your family too now Ty."

Spades looked like he'd been punched. "I don't go by that filthy human name anymore. It's Spades, through and through."

The tension continued to build in the room. Logan decided not to get involved and let the kids work out their own differences, but if it got out of hand he was ready.

Rogue separated the icy and fiery mutant. "Look, Ah'll settle this. Ah'll fight Leo. Ya need ta chill off Spades."

Spades snorted and backed off.

"Wait a minute, Rogue." Wolverine interrupted. "You're matched against Turbulence."

"So? Can't Ah fight 'em both?" Rogue asked.

Logan laughed. "I don't doubt you could handle both, but you can't. These matches are final."

"Don't be such a stick-in-the-mud Logan." Rogue argued.

"Listen," Benj butted in. "I'll forfeit the match if it makes it easier."

Logan looked about ready to explode. "No it doesn't windbag. Matches are final. If Bobby's got a problem he'll either have to swallow his ego and forfeit, or scrimmage with Leo."

All eyes turned to Iceman. He stood awkwardly in their gaze and looked at Leo. The feline mutant tried to look indifferent, but he was boiling mad. He couldn't even train normally.

"Fine, I'll fight." Bobby answered with a minimal shake to his voice.

The match was over fast. Bobby got his butt handed to him, and escaped with no lasting injuries. Leo was proving just how much control he had, he didn't even shift once during the fight.

Wolverine smirked as they came back up into the control room. Bobby's ego was squashed flatter than if he had forfeit.

"Heheh," Wolverine laughed. "Hope that taught you somethin'. Now! Next is Magma and Nightcrawler!"

* * *

><p>Rogue sat twirling her pencil in her AP Chemistry class. There was still two minutes until class started and there was a substitute teacher. The day promised nothing.<p>

Sighing, she sank back in her seat. The weekend had been chaotic; there must have been at least four more situations like the one in the control room. Bobby and the other younger mutants were having a hard time accepting Leo. They hadn't liked him much to begin with, since he took their spots on the official X-Men team, and his past resurfacing brought a new wave of dislike. The D.R. session had been fine for her, though. Logan was pissed; he had to call a tie between her and Benj because they were taking too long.

"_Just hit the damn kid Rogue!" _Logan had yelled from the intercom. She chuckled quietly at his voice. He hated Benj in that father-boyfriend way that she loved.

The bell rang and the rest of the class took their seats.

The sub introduced himself and announced that they would be working in pairs with the person next to them. Rogue looked over and realized for the first time that she sat next to the principal's daughter, Claire Darth.

The dark blonde-haired girl turned her neon green eyes to Rogue. "Rogue, right?" She asked in a monotone.

"Yeah, ya're Claire, Principal Darth's daughtah." Rogue stated.

Claire nodded. "Yep! Let's get started on this packet."

Their conversation started out slow, but the two quickly realized they had a lot in common. They breezed through the school work and just conversed for the rest of the hour.

"So, what's yar dad like?" Rogue asked.

Claire leaned back in her desk and thought hard. "He's alright, strict at times, but he's a good guy."

"And he's fine that ya're a mutant?"

The other girl's left eye twitched as she looked at Rogue. "Um… yeah. He sees past the mutation thing most of the time… but you know how it is…"

Rogue nodded. "Ya should check out the Xavier Institute sometime, Ah think ya would like it."

Claire sighed. "I don't think that's an option for me, but listen, thanks a lot."

Rogue nodded. Convincing your parents to let you live in a mansion for "freaks" usually didn't go very well.

"Hey, is that guy Leo Dyson one of you?" Claire asked, hopefully nonchalantly.

"Sure, why?" Rogue asked slightly confused.

"Oh… just wonderin'…"

"Wonderin'? Ah think not." Rogue laughed. "Ya don't just ask about a random guy unless ya want ta know something."

Claire shook her head and gestured frantically with her hands. "No, no, I'm serious! I was just curious!" Rogue smirked at her new friend's discomfort. Claire noticed and decided to turn the tables on her. "What about you Rogue? Who's that blonde guy you're always around?" She was hoping to get some details on the other new mutants.

Rogue's face went red. "That's Benj, he's mah… er… we're friends."

The other girl lowered her eyebrows. "Friends? I see. Mutant as well I'm guessing."

"Yeah." Rogue started to wonder why this girl was so interested in the other mutants at the Institute. She was about to ask her when the bell rang. The class packed up their stuff and started toward the door.

Before Rogue could leave, Claire grabbed her arm. "Hey, you wanna hang out some time?"

"Sure," she pulled out her cell phone. "What's yar numbah? Ah'll text ya."

After exchanging numbers the two exited the classroom and went their separate ways.

_Interesting girl…_ Rogue thought to herself.

* * *

><p><em>Knock. Knock.<em>

"Come in." Principal Darth's voice said from within his office. The door opened and in walked Claire Darth.

"Bout ready to go?" She asked.

Darth turned around and looked at her quizzically. His dark suit and tie almost let him melt into the shadows. "What are you still doing here, Claire? I thought you were going home with Portia."

Clair shrugged and plopped down on one of the arm chairs. She locked her green eyes with Darth's purple ones from behind his desk.

"Needed cell phone reception." She stated.

He blinked at her. "And who are you texting?"

Claire cringed. She started wishing she hadn't mentioned anything to Nick, and made up some ridiculous lie. "Why do you care, Nick?"

He stood up. "While we're still in this school building you will call me your father."

"Sorry, _father_" she accented the word 'father' for his sake.

"Now who are you in communications with?" He asked again.

"A girl in my Chemistry class."

"Does this girl have a name?"

Claire gulped. Now was the tricky part. "Rogue." She muttered.

Darth slammed his hands on the desk. "Rogue? From the Xavier Institute?" He yelled angrily.

"Yeah, from the X-Men." Claire stood as well and glared back. "Is there a problem?"

"I don't want you talking to them! You will _not_ befriend them!"

"And why not?" Claire shouted, spreading her arms out. "I can talk to Leo all I want, but I can't talk to any other X-Men? What the he-"

"_Claire!_"

She stopped. The shadows around Darth vibrated ominously. "I AM YOUR _FATHER_!" He yelled. "What I ask you to do, you will do it."

"You may be my father, but not by blood, Darth." Claire growled. "And stop referring to me by that name. I **hate **it!"

Darth straightened and walked around his desk to face her. "And what name would you prefer? Clay? Dune? Jane?" He bent down to meet her eye-to-eye. "You _will_ go by the name we chose."

"We?" Claire snorted. "It was _you, _who wanted me to go by that, I would have preferred Jane, but _nooooo_, we gotta do it Nick's way."

"Young lady, this conversation is over!" Darth said forcibly. The shadows appeared to stretch out from their respective spots toward Claire.

He halted and took several deep breaths. "Listen, I'm sorry Clay. This was a stressful day for me." The shadows receded. "Let's get you home." He said, sighing.

Claire calmed down as well and opened the door to his office.

"We'll finish this conversation _later_."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Rant: Ah yes, the rant:<strong>

**This is a list of what you should've been noticing, if not it's here for catchup**

_Leo:_ He has red spikey hair with blonde tips, typically wears a red or white T-shirt, khakis, and a shark tooth necklace. Can shift into a lion humaniod with bronze claws. There's a crystal over his heart that he can detect energy with.

Okay, that's basics what you need to have noticed: He plays soccer./ Leo is good friends with Enrique, who's gay, Enrique thinks Leo's gay too./ Leo **meant** to kill those teens. He passes it off as an accident (which it partly was), but he has no remorse. He likes them dead./ He's Christain and puts his beliefs very highly./ Oh, and Bobby and most of the 'new mutants' now hate him./ Amara has a crush on him, and Tabitha likes them both (yeah, Tabitha is fun).

XXX

_Benj:_ Blonde, looks like a skater, typically wears green. Powers include air manipulation (think airbender from Avatar), basic telepathy. He's pathetic at influence, but rocks at empathy links. He can create and disband empathy links that he sees as colored cords that represent a person's aura. (basics, now onward)/ He and Rogue aren't really dating, but they might as well be. He loves her despite the fact he can't lay a hand on her (a reason why I think people are so drawn to those ROMY fics)./ His friend Vince is a human./ He did cause his parents' car accident (more on that later)./ He doesn't get along with Ray, AT ALL./ Likes to work with metal.

XXX

_Ty: _Now goes by Spades, red skin, devil horns, shark teeth, immune to energy blasts and heat which he absorbs to fuel his own fire./ Has decided to separate himself from the human world./ Very good with computers./ Drastic behavior change from shy guy to in your face./ He's in the background a lot but still a main character like any of the other X-Men.

XXX

_Claire Darth/ Clay Dune:_ Wears a tight gray t-shirt and jeans mostly. A mutant with the power of cellular metamorphis, which is more than just shape shifting, otherwise it would have said shape shifting./ Leader of a Haven squad./ Hates a guy named Jaller./ Best friends with Zen (Knife)./ Darth is NOT her real father (hope you liked that line by the way), but he is related to her.(I cut out the line that said: "You may share some of my blood, Darth, but you're not my father")/ Believes in mutant supremacy like Magneto, but she's never met him in person./ Ultra important character who you have sadly not seen much of.

XXX

I think that's mostly it... Anything I missed I'll be sure to point out during future author's notes. And of course you'll get to see what Lance told Kitty of Magneto's plans... LATER!

**Until next time: Fare thee well.**


	15. Chapter 14: Kitsune

**Disclaimer: The original X-Men characters aren't mine. They're Marvels. The OCs either belong to me or their repective reviewer owners.**

**Author's note:** Well, that took a while.

To make up for my long leave of absense I present to you an extremely long chapter! It's a little choatic because of all the new characters surfacing. Also I felt I need to redescribe the Haven characters as they appear again, so that took some space. Let me know, those of you who submitted OCs, if I stay on track. I would love to see any suggestions and critisms you have. Also the reason why it took so long (besides that it's so long) is due to an English paper on _The Red Badge of Courage._ Sorry for the wait...

**Read. Enjoy. Review!**

* * *

><p><em>Phoenix, Arizona.<em>

Despite it being nearly have way through September, the afternoon heat beat down on a teen and three kids at a local playground. A cool breeze swept through the swings and sand, whooshing past the kids.

The teen had tanned skin from being out in the sun all the time. Arizona will do that. He sat on the swing set reading a book. He wore a dark maroon T-shirt and ripped jeans, the heat made little impact to him. Oddly maroon colored hair was tied back in a low 'manly' ponytail to keep it from whipping in his face. Gold tinted eyes glared out in an eerie manner. His body was slim, but muscular. His face structure was angular and intense.

He watched the three kids as they ran about the playground. They appeared to be about ten.

"Hey Sionnach!" One of the boys yelled at the teen. The boy had tan skin like the teen and similar features, but dark brown hair. He pronounced it like See-ion-na-ck (the 'ch' in his name was pronounced like the 'ch' in 'loch'). "Guess who I am!"

The boy ran around the playground and up the slide in a comical manner with his arms spread out.

Sionnach squinted his eyes. "Not funny Caleb. That's not even how you do parkour."

The boy, Caleb, scrunched his nose. "That's not even how you do parkour." He imitated with a nasally sneer. The other two laughed.

The teen snorted and went back to reading.

"I don't even know why Dad has you babysit us!" Caleb grumbled. "You're no more mature than us."

"I'm seventeen. You're ten years old. In no way are you more mature than me." Sionnach muttered angrily as he continued to scan his book.

Caleb made a face at his brother, causing his two friends to laugh.

"Wanna play some baseball with us then?" Caleb asked, tossing a ball up in the air. The other two boys hefted their baseball bats onto their shoulders.

Sionnach grimaced. He wasn't all that great at sports, and his brother knew it. Playing would be humiliating and turning down the offer would also receive teasing.

"No thanks." He said slowly, just barely looking up.

"That's what I thought." His brother sighed. "My brother, the only guy I know who can't play sports."

"Probably 'cuz he throws like a girl." One of his friends jeered.

The teen winced and gulped his anger down.

Caleb looked over at his friends. "You know, he can't swim either."

"Really?"

"Yeah, just freezes up and starts drowning. He could probably drown in his own bath tub." Caleb said in a sad teasing manner.

Sionnach could no longer focus on the words on the page. They swam before him in a red-tinged fury. Caleb was too young to understand his aquaphobia, he couldn't remember when their mother died.

The friends laughed and joined in, jeering mean comments at the older boy on the swings.

"Afraid of water, eh? Hope you don't mind that I have this water bottle then." One mocked, pulling out a plastic bottle. He waved it in the air and approached Sionnach.

"Careful there, he might club you with that book!" Caleb yelled.

Sionnach froze, glancing up from his book. He knew what would happen if Caleb's friend dumped the water on him. He would freeze up and panic.

The friend still approached and Sionnach threw himself out of the swing as the friend swung his arm like he was going to fling the water out at him.

Nothing fell from the bottle.

The kids burst into laughter.

"It was empty dimwit!"

The teen looked up from the ground and saw the truth. The dusty ground was deprived of any sort of moisture. He cursed under his breath and pulled himself up to much teasing.

"Shut up. SHUT UP!" Sionnach yelled, angrily brushing himself off. He took a few angry steps away from the boys. He pushed his rage down and glanced at the three out of the corner of his eye. Each made eye contact with him.

"Go play in traffic." He snarled sarcastically. His eyes glowed a bright gold as he said the words.

Suddenly the three boys turned and ran toward the street. They flung down the bats and ball in their hands and in a sick happiness ran to the street. Sionnach whirled around shocked.

_What the hell are they doing? _He screamed in his head. He ran a bit after them then screamed, "Guys! GET YOUR BUTTS BACK THE SIDEWALK!"

The boys continued to run around in the street. A huge eighteen-wheeler came flying down the street. The boys didn't notice the impending danger.

Sionnach wanted to scream, yell, _anything, _but he couldn't.

The massive truck slammed into the three kids without slowing. No sounds escaped their lips as they died, almost like the pain couldn't be felt.

The teen stood there in complete shock. Anger shook his body, causing it to become numb to a transformation he would later not be able to stand.

His face stretched into a fox muzzle, ears sprouted from the top of his end, maroon fur coated his body, his nails grew into short black claws and his jeans split to make way for three bushy maroon fox tails. Blue flames engulfed his hands, tail, and ears.

He couldn't tear his gold eyes from the scene of his brother and his friends' mutilated bodies on the street. He was screaming in mental pain and anger. Sionnach didn't even realize it until something struck his head. Crumpling he fell to his hands and knees and stared at the ground in new found pain.

He yelped and looked in confusion at his hands. They were furry, and on fire. That just didn't register in his brain. It was physically impossible and he felt no pain.

Another missile was tossed by him, dragging his attention to a crowd around him.

A large group of humans had gathered and held any sort of weapon they could have found; from baseball bats to steel pipes and bricks. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he knew he had to leave, now.

Scrambling to his feet he turned and fled down the street to his house.

Luckily, his father was not home. Sionnach's father was a cruel man when it came to mutants, and Sionnach was now sure he was what he had been taught to despise. In a rush he ran upstairs, slammed and locked his door.

* * *

><p><em><span>Cerebro, Xavier Mansion for Gifted Youngsters<span>_

"_Discovery, mutant signature detected._

_Scan complete, identity confirmed._

_Name: Sionnach Fae._

_Residence: Phoenix, Arizona._

_Age: 17_

_Abilities include: mono-form shape shifting, friction derived flame conjuring, and limited possession."_

Charles rolled back from the console of Cerebro. He frowned slightly. The newly discovered mutant was especially dangerous, not to mention confused and scared.

Putting a team together would be harder for this mission. Bobby had received a temporary suspension due to his behavior, Kitty had disappeared somewhere two hours ago, Leo was drifting away from the X-Men, Benj left an hour ago with Vince for the skate park, and Jean was returning to college for classes.

The professor sighed. Time was of the essence. An idea struck him. Scott and Rogue were two students with the best knowledge of the others and could probably help him round-up a team quickly.

'_Scott, Rogue, come down to Cerebro please. Teachers, you as well.'_ Xavier called mentally.

'_On mah way.'_

'_Course, what's up prof?'_ Scott's mind chimed.

As soon as they all were down there Xavier motioned to the screen.

"Meet Sionnach Fae. He's a newly powered mutant in Phoenix." The professor paused. "Due to his powers and the publicity of his power discovery we have limited time to get to him to help."

"What do ya want us ta do?" Rogue asked.

"I need you to help me come up with a team for the mission. I would like to have two telepaths for this one so we can relay information faster, but Jean just left."

"There's still Benj." Scott said. "I know he's not great with his powers, but as you said, time is short."

"What's his powers Chuck?" Logan grunted from the door.

"It appears to be shape-shifting, the ability to create fire, and limited possession." Xavier answered.

"Possession?" Scott asked.

"Yes, I don't know for sure the extent so we should be careful."

"If he can create flames, ain't it a good idea ta take Spades?" Rogue suggested. "He could absorb any potential threat this Sionnach guy can pose."

The professor nodded. "Good point. I suppose that leaves the rest of the normal team. If they're here they can come." Xavier looked at Rogue. "By the way, where is Kitty?"

Rogue avoided his eyes when she answered. "Ah don't know."

Professor Xavier smiled slightly. "You're lying."

Rogue sighed. She really needed to stop being everyone's secret keeper. All eyes in the room turned to her as she tried to think of some half-truth she could tell.

"What Kitty does in her free-time ain't mah concahn." She said.

"Yet you know."

_Damn ya, Kitty._ "Yeah, Ah know, but Ah can't say. She ain't in dangah or anything so Ah guess we should just leave her behind." Just then Rogue's cell phone buzzed. Grimacing she looked at it.

_Al's gonna tell me wat BH is doin. B home aftr dinnr_. It read.

Xavier raised an eyebrow. "I assume that's Kitty."

Rogue scowled, but nodded. "Yeah."

"Charles," Beast interrupted the semi-awkward scene, "what about the rest of the students? Not all of us can go. I'm perfectly fine playing babysitter if need be, but it is a Friday. Nothing good could come from that. I'll need back-up."

Before Charles could respond, Logan offered himself for watch. "I can stay behind as well and watch 'em. Leo's got similar powers to mine, I think he can handle the heavy lifting. 'Sides, we had a Danger Room session planned, they can't get off that early." Logan grinned mercilessly.

"And Bobby?" Storm asked in her usual polite way.

"He's still on suspension. His English grade has to come up if he wants back on." Xavier answered. "Let's round up the team: Spades, Leo, Benj, and Kurt."

* * *

><p>Most of the mutants were easy to find. Benj was heading back to the mansion saying there was some anti-mutant trouble at the park.<p>

Scott poked his head through Leo's open door.

He was lying on his bed, knees bent up, sketching.

"Up for a mission?" Scott asked, coming in further.

Leo looked up from his sketchbook. "Yeah, hold on." He flipped a few pages and turned the book so Scott could see. It was of Cyclops on one knee firing an optic blast through his visor.

"Neat!" Scott exclaimed, taking the book from Leo. "Wow, these are impressive." He said as he flipped the pages. He stopped at an unfamiliar face. It was a guy with long hair in front and spikey in back with a dark zig-zag down the left side. It was of Enrique, but Scott didn't know him. Enrique was sitting at a desk in the drawing, grinning straight through the paper like he could see the people on the other side.

"Who's this?"

Leo sat up and leaned over the page. "My friend, Enrique. He's from school."

Scott took in the graphite likeness of the boy. "Wasn't that the guy who came over to fill out those mutant sports contracts?"

"Yep." Leo said, taking back the sketchbook and setting it aside.

"When are try-outs?" Scott asked as they left Leo's room.

"This, well next, week." Leo answered. "So what's the mission? Brotherhood?"

"Not this time, it's a recruitment mission. A mutant named Sionnach Fae."

"See-on-nach?" the shorter teen asked. "That's a weird name."

Scott chuckled, "Yeah, well so is Leo."

"Is not!" Leo scoffed. "You're just jealous your name isn't ironic.

The whole conversation was a cover-up, a way to defuse some of the tension between them, and they both knew it. Things weren't the same since Leo's past came into light. Every conversation had a background of awkwardness tinged with suspicion. Leo couldn't shake it, even when he spoke to those he had made close friends with. He held Scott in highest regard, a model to follow; but Scott couldn't see him as the "old" Leo anymore. So much for starting fresh.

* * *

><p>Sionnach Fae paced nervously in his room. It was plain, but posters were plastered everywhere. Art supplies sat out on a wooden desk. He'd tried drawing and painting, but his nerves wouldn't stop.<p>

He was a dead man.

His farther had drilled him every day on how mutants were the scum of the earth. They poisoned families and blood-lines, creating heart break and discord where ever they went.

They were devil advocates. A tainted splash on the pure mankind.

Sionnach believed all of it. Or at least used to. What could he do when **he **was the very thing he despised?

There was no acceptance from his family. His mother was dead, as was now his brother, and his father would disown him in a mere heartbeat.

The anger had boiled of him and left him feeling empty, weak, and vulnerable. With it had gone his mutant transformation, but some features stayed. There was still a maroon fox tail at his back side, and his nail remained black and hard, though not in points.

He nervously flicked his tongue over the still-shape fangs that lined his mouth. The anger was returning, fueled by his own self-hatred.

Suddenly he heard the front door slam and a man roar out. "SIONNACH!" It was his father returning from work.

A yelp burst from his throat, a sound he never made before today.

Leaden footsteps came up the stairs. His bedroom door flung open with no warning causing Sionnach to flinch. He screwed hi eyes shut.

The man shared many of his features, but his face was purple in rage.

"First you humiliate us with your… _preferences_." He spat. "Then you become a mutant! How much dishonor can one bring to his family?"

"Please, Dad! I d-didn't mean to—!" Sionnach whimpered.

The man shut the door behind him and balled his fists. He approached the teen with malice. "You may have not meant to, but I'll teach you a lesson you won't forget!"

* * *

><p>The X-Men rode in the Blackbird in silence. The professor had just tuned the small television screen in the front to Phoenix's daily news.<p>

"In a startling report today, a mutant killed three young boys this afternoon. In this video taken by a bystander the mutant displays its fury." An anchor woman said.

The footage played showed a half-man/half-fox mutant with maroon fur screaming in anger and baring his teeth. It was Sionnach, blue flames rolled off his body.

"We asked for your help in identifying this dangerous mutant and you complied. We now go live to our camera crew who is with police as they arrive at the mutant's residence to take it into custody. Plice received a tip from the mutant's father whose other son was killed in the attack."

The screen shifted and a bouncy camera jostled with other journalists and policemen. A police officer marched up to the door and banged on it yelling to have the mutant come out.

The door flung open with a visibly furious man and a teenage with bruises covering his face and arms, as well as blood running down his face from a gash in his forehead. Some of his limbs were bent the wrong way, clearly broken.

The man threw the teenage to the police and spoke with an acid tongue. "Take this filth away."

The police complied in a rush.

Scott reached over and switched the screen off.

"This is going to be more difficult than I once thought." Charles muttered. He swiveled his chair to face the X-Men while Scott piloted. "Looks like we will have a change of plans…"

* * *

><p>Two police officers threw the bandaged Sionnach into a cell at the small special jailhouse built to contain mutants. At least they'd been civil enough to see to his injuries before tossing him into jail.<p>

The cells were empty, except for his, all contained a cot and sink. A long hallway led back to the office part of the jailhouse.

Sionnach hit the cool concrete hard, and whipped back around to bare his new fangs.

The officers laughed and put a code into the keypad causing the bars to slam shut.

"Ain't going nowhere now mutie." One officer snarled.

Both laughed and turned to walk way, when they both appeared to be hit over the head. With a grunt they fell to the ground.

The air behind them waivered like something was melting out of the air.

There stood Enrique 'Cloak' Oculto. His white hair melded with the bleak walls behind him, but the black streak gave his head recognition.

He wore black pants with silver armor plates on his thighs, light weight black boots with leather soles, a black shirt with a gray triangle angling from his right shoulder to his left side then down to his waist on his right side, and a brown cloak with a hood over it. A metal Bo staff was in his hands and heavy black leather gloves covered his hands.

He looked down worriedly at the two men and knelt. He placed his hand on their necks and checked for a pulse. Finding both of theirs present he stood with a grin plastered on his face. He looked up from his handiwork and smashed his staff into the electronic key pad. With a shower of sparks it died, opening the barred door for Sionnach.

The teen with maroon hair could only stare at this new arrival. He avoided Cloak's eyes, afraid he would do what he had done to Caleb and his friends. He chanced a quick glance at the other teen's dark blue eyes and felt a connection. He was attractive, he couldn't deny that, and his heart beat a little faster as he took in the rest of his appearance.

Then he stopped.

This guy was a mutant, an abomination, a creature of filth, someone who- who was just like Sionnach. He hated it.

Cloak looked down at the teen crumpled on the floor. He was definitely worse for wear. Bruises covered nearly every inch of his body, his arm was bound in two places, and several bloody stretches of gauze were wrapped around his body parts. His heart ached for this mutant, and he made the decision right there to do everything he could do to help him, despite the dangers. Cloak tried to stifle the anger he felt toward humans but it came through unbidden and marred his face.

He stretched out a hand to Sionnach. "Are you just going to sit there? Take my hand."

Wearily Sionnach complied, though he spat out, "You're a mutant."

"_Sí y tú." _ Cloak said, a little confused. This other mutant was the same height as him and displayed the same sort of body build. Bruises marbled his potentially handsome face, but the emotional wounds were even clearer. Cloak wondered what had happened to his mutant, but the time for questions was later. If they didn't move now there'd be more police to deal with.

"Cloak." The Spanish mutant said quickly.

The other frowned. "Sionnach. What kind of name is Cloak?" He asked with disgust. _Mutants and their damned names._

Cloak's face turned stony and he answered quietly. "My true one."

A small gray sphere blinked at his waist. It was a Haven communicator. "Our signal to go. Hold on tight and stay quiet." Cloak murmured to Sionnach.

"What do you mean by—" Suddenly a cold chill went through Sionnach's body. His skin tingled with tiny vibrations. Startled, he looked down at himself, but was unable to see anything.

_Invisibility. I've been turned invisible by a mutant I don't even know._

Sionnach had the urge to pitch the contents of his stomach, but held it in feeling greatly disturbed.

Better to ask questions later when they were safely out of there.

Cloak tugged at his hand and guided him down the hall, through the door, which the two officers had left carelessly open.

Silently they glided into the office. Cloak stopped suddenly, almost causing Sionnach to crash into him. Though he couldn't see Cloak, he knew his eyes were focused on the man at the desk.

Charles Xavier sat in his wheel chair and spoke in calm tones to the officer on the other side of the desk. Spades stood behind the professor with his image inducer on. Leo and Scott were there too, having pulled jeans and hoodies over their uniforms. The X's on their chests were displayed proudly from the open zippers.

"I'm here to speak with Sionnach fae. I would also like to speak to your commanding officer about arranging his release." Xavier said.

The officer behind the desk shook his head. "Nuh-uh. Nobody's allowed to speak with the prisoners."

"I assure you it is of dire importance. Could I speak with who's in charge?"

The officer nodded, much too easily. Xavier was using his telepathic abilities to make things move a little faster. A sense of urgency hung in the air.

The officer called over his radio and seconds later a graying man walked in.

"Heard you lot wanted to speak with the officer in charge."

Xavier nodded. "Yes, I am Charles Xavier. I teach mutants how to control their powers. I was hoping to speak with the young Sionnach fae to see if he was interested."

The graying amn thought for some moments, the gears visibly churning in his head. Leo and Scott glanced nerviously at each other.

"I guess it couldn't hurt…" He muttered.

"Anything to keep troubled mutants off the streets, right?" Leo chuckled.

The older officer looked at him and smiled. "Good point young man. People hate mutants for what they do but are utterly unwilling to help them control their powers." He waved the other officer off. Walking toward the door he continued to speak.

"Compromises have to be made somewhere. You think the attack was accidental Mr. Xavier?"

"Yes, it often happens when their powers first flare up. Would it be possible to release him to us if he agrees?"

The man frowned, then nodded. "I suppose so, but that makes an awful lot of paperwork for me. I—" He halted mid-sentence when he looked down the hall.

Cloak pulled Sionnach toward the entrance in a hurry, no longer worrying about staying quiet.

"Cain, Rogers?" The older officer yelled out. Seeing his men were out cold he grabbed his radio. He barked orders over the device and turned to Xavier.

"Looks like you can't talk to him."

Xavier spun around to face the three X-Men in the room. He did a mental scan and sensed the two trying to flee out the door.

"Leo! The door!" He shouted.

Without hesitation Leo flung himself in front of the door and growled. He could smell them now, he wondered how he hadn't before.

Cloak swung his staff at Leo and knocked him aside. He almost appoligized, then remembered he had to keep going. He disabled the cloak he put on himself and Sionnach and ran out the door with the toher teen not far behind.

Leo jumped back up and roared in frustration. His spikey hair was crumbled. "Permission to pursue?" He growled, flinging off his sweatshirt revealing his sleeveless uniform.

"Go!" The professor commanded.

He mentally contacted Benj. 'Time to move, they're heading to the out skirts. We're already pretty far out so it won't take them long.'

'Them professor?' Benj asked as he relayed the information.

'Yes another mutant I've never seen before is leading him. Use caution and make sure everyone's communicator is on.'

'Roger that.' Benj broke mental contact.

Xavier sighed as he watched the three chase after the two mutants. Things were just getting more and more out of control.

* * *

><p>The two mutants ran down back streets and alleyways trying to avoid their pursuers.<p>

Sionnach was surprised by his rescuer's knowledge of the streets.

"Who are you!" He asked as they began to see a lack of city streets.

"Cloak." He slowed a little so Sionnach could catch up. "I am from a place called the Haven. It is a safe haven of sorts for mutants without a place to go."

"And you broke into jail, just for me?" Sionnach gasped stopping. Their pursuers were nowhere in sight and they were now on a sidewalk that looked like it led to the middle of the desert. Even the houses were nonexistent.

Cloak stopped as well and leaned heavily on his staff. "…Uh, yeah. Our squad leader sent us out especially for you."

Sionnach frowned. It sounded sketchy, and he was pretty sure the mutant misused the word 'especially'.

"How do I know I can trust you? Who's this 'squad leader'?" He asked with a twinge of fury.

"You have another choice of who to trust?" Cloak sighed, running a hand through his white hair. "As for our squad leader—"

"That would be me." Sionnach whirled around to come face-to-face with bright neon green eyes and pale gray skin. It was Clay Dune. She smiled from under her light tan mask. "Sionnach Fae, correct?"

He glared in anger. "What the hell is going on!" He pointed a finger at Clay and poked her in the chest, thudding against her armor. "What kind of sick game are you playing at?"

Clay shrugged. Glancing down at his finger she slapped his hand away. "You need a place to stay and I'm offering one. Take it, or go back to rot in that jail cell."

He continued to glare daggers at her smug face.

She laughed and looked at Cloak. "the others are stalling the X-Men, but Portal is with them. No one can leave 'til they meet us here."

"Won't the X-Men follow?" Cloak asked.

"That's the idea."

* * *

><p>The setting sun cast a red glare over everything in the city. Most citizens were at home, cowering due to the 'mutant attack'. The streets were an eerie quiet as Leo, Cyclops, and Spades thundered down the streets.<p>

Whoever they were chasing knew the city by heart and lost them fast.

Leo stopped and groaned. His legs were burning like they often did after a session with Logan. He leaned over and tried to catch his breath, he should have shifted a long time ago to lend him some better muscles, but he was too worried about catching up.

Cyclops jogged up beside him and stopped as well. "Where'd they go?" He looked around and saw little around. The buildings were spaced farther apart and the sidewalk just seemed to stretch out forever. The sun was setting fast and the receding red light cast strange shadows over everything.

"I don't know." Leo sighed, standing straight up. A flash of power to the left distracted his attention. The crystal above his heart basically turned his head for him.

Perched on the side of a brick wall was a girl in tight black spandex and a black trench coat. Her dark brown hair was tied back in a ponytail and orange tinted aviator goggles were around her neck. She was literally sticking to the wall looking down at them.

Leo met her eyes and growled. "Can I help you girlie?"

She smiled and dropped to the ground. Cyclops and Spades took a step back, but Leo remained where he was.

"Actually, yes. You need to remain where you are and not follow the other two." She said with a smile.

The spikey haired mutant grinned like a lunatic. "Actually, I think I will stay here." He turned to Cyclops. "Their scent keeps going straight. Call Turbulence and have him do some air recon." Leo said softly, then he turned back to the girl. "You got a name?"

"Knife." She said, flicking a knife out of her belt.

Leo grinned and shifted into his lion humanoid. He muscles rippled under his fur as he took a stance. He nodded slightly at Cyclops and slammed Knife into the wall.

She hit with a thud and a soft cry of pain, causing her to drop the knife. Cyclops and Spades took off running in the direction they last saw the other two mutants going.

Knife jabbed her fist into Leo's stomach. He shrank back and allowed her to escape his grasp. She looked with annoyance at Cyclops and Spades running off then back to Leo.

He stood with a cocky grin on his face, his canines glimmering in the red light. With the agility of a lion he swung his fist at the girl. Somehow she ducked under his arm and struck the gap between his shoulder and his neck.

"Ahh!" He roared, falling to one knee. His whole arm tingled. _Pressure points._

"Oh, it's not that bad."

She kicked out at him and he caught her leg in one hand. Swinging his arm around, he flung her over his head and onto the ground. She groaned as stars floated through her vision.

"Oh, it's not that bad." Leo mimicked. He noticed now that her ears were pointed, she almost looked like an elf.

Knife got up in a whirl and began jabbing at him. Leo managed to barely block them all. He grabbed her arm again and threw her a small distance away.

This was the chance she was waiting for. Leo was evenly matched at close-range, but with some throwing distance Knife had the upper hand. She pulled a few throwing knives from her belt and aimed them at Leo.

The lion narrowed his amber eyes and prepared to dodge. Hopefully he could keep her stalled long enough for Cyclops and Spades to reach Sionnach and the other mutant, without him getting killed.

* * *

><p>"Turbulence, mind helping us out?" Cyclops' voice came over the communicator. "See if you can find us from the air and give us some bird-in-the-sky help."<p>

"Roger that!" Benj said. He secured the steampunk-styled pilot goggles over his eyes. The remainder of the team was about to head out on foot. "See you guys from the sky!" He jumped up and took flight, weaving his way through the buildings to where Cyclops' said they were.

Storm watched him go with a slight smile. She turned to Rogue and Kurt. "He really is getting better."

Nightcrawler nodded. "Jah."

Rogue followed the black and green figure through the air then turned to Storm. "Well, Ah guess we go too."

Suddenly a purple swirling mass appeared in front of them. Out of it stepped three people.

One was a short girl with dirty blonde hair tied back in a ponytail. The suit this girl wore was half green, and half blue, the blue half being on the right, the green on the left. On the sleeves and legs there were hazel and brown curved stripes going down to her wrists and ankles. On the back of the uniform was a purple paw-print, and there were two matching smaller silver ones on the chest of her uniform. Brown boots covered her feet, and brown fingerless gloves were on her hands.

The second girl that walked out had dark brown curly hair with purple streaks. She wore a black trench coat over a purple suit that had a black triangle arching down from her shoulders to her waist. In the middle of her chest was a purple swirl that looked like a portal (almost like the Spore insignia).

The last person to walk out was much taller than the other two. As he emerged from the shadows of the portal the red light ignited against his skin. Glimmering in the dying light were green snake scales that covered his entire body. His head was that of a snake's. His yellow eyes darted about and a forked tongue flicked out of his mouth. Had Leo been there, he would have recognized him as Seth Severus, his former mutant supervisor. Dull metal guarded his shins and legs, and plain black shorts covered the rest of his legs. A long sleeved tight shirt covered his torso with black sleeves and a light yellow stripe down the middle.

Seth looked straight at the X-Men and narrowed his eyes.

"You guyssss jussst make our jobsss harder!"

"Can we help ya scaly?" Rogue growled.

Seth flicked his tongue out and looked at the two girls. "Where'ssss Whisssper?"

The girl with purple streaks in her hair looked around then groaned. "I don't even know."

Rogue glanced at Nightcrawler and Storm. "Should we just go around 'em?"

Nightcrawler nodded and grabbed each of their shoulders. "I'll just port us on the other side—"

The snake mutant turned his attention back to the X-Men. "_You_, aren't going anywhere." His deep voice seemed unnatural coming out of the snake's mouth. He charged at the three, aiming mostly for Storm.

The two beside him followed suit, the shortest one going for Rogue, and the one with purple streaks for Kurt.

Seth bowled Storm over then waited for her to get back up before attacking again. Storm clouds began forming overhead.

Rogue jumped back as the small girl leapt at her. The receding light made it hard to make anything out, but it appeared that the girl had taken on the appearance of a cat. Whiskers streaked her face, and small pointy claws extended from her hands.

The last girl ran at Nightcrawler then flung her arm up at the last second and conjured up another portal. She slipped through and left him cringing for no reason.

"What the—?" He began as a boot hit him hard from behind. His blue fuzzy face smacked into the ground. Spitting out dirt he got back up to see the girl looking at him in an interested way.

"You're a teleporter right?" She asked.

"Uh, yeah?" Kurt replied confused. One, why did she care? Two, how did she know?

"Hmmm… too bad." She said with a little sadness. Before Kurt could ask anything else she slammed her boot into his midsection.

As Rogue fought the small girl she realized the three's plan. They were trying to keep them separated and busy.

***BREAK***

Sionnach was not enjoying watching his rescuers. He was dreadfully bored, and Clay and Cloak were talking in Spanish. Having only taken minimal Spanish, he could only pick out a few words here and there.

Cloak was obviously a native Spanish speaker; Clay clearly wasn't, though she was still quite good. Sometimes she would say something and Cloak would calmly repeat the word, but either correctly, or followed by the word she meant.

Sionnach drew with a stick in the sand when suddenly the conversation behind him grew agitated. He turned around and watched.

Clay was rubbing her forearms, which were covered in bronze guards with an elegant design, and her voice was increasing in volume. It was hard to tell her facial expression, but the mask moved more as she spoke.

The white-haired mutant was calmly countering whatever she said, though he looked hurt and unhappy. Finally some agitation brought through and he shouted a word.

"Nuju!" He flung his hands up and glared despairingly at Clay. "He's one of Jaller's men! **YOU HATE JALLER!** Why would you ever—?"

Clay silenced him with a glance. "I had to tell someone, besides, he _used _to be one of our squad. He's on our side."

"Jaller will get revenge, you just wait." Cloak said quietly, he turned to Sionnach and his expression softened. "Hey, Sionnach, how are you doing?"

"Oh, don't worry about me. Just sitting here… I have no idea what's going on, or who you are, but that's okay." He replied with sarcasm. "Who's Jaller anyways?"

Clay nodded to Cloak and walked off to where there appeared to be a still form on the ground.

"At the Haven there are about two hundred young mutants. Jaller is one. He and Clay… do not get along. He is the current 'elected' leader," Cloak did air quotes for 'elected', "and before him it was Clay."

"I see." Sionnach said. "So she's pissed someone can do her job better."

"No, that is not it." Cloak shook his head. "He stole the position from her unfairly. Jaller also has not been running the Haven in a way Clay agrees with. Food is a little shorter, and his team enforces some rules more harshly than others." He sighed and sat on the ground next to the other teen. "He's kinda homophobic too. Makes my life a bit of Hell."

Sionnach looked shocked at the mutant. Most people didn't just come out and say things like that.

"So you're…?"

"Gay? Jes." Cloak answered without skipping a beat. He'd come to terms with that fact of his life a long time ago and was perfectly comfortable with telling people.

The other teen swallowed and glanced around. He saw Clay helping the still form into a sitting position then up all of the way. The two walked over and Clay wore a worried look under her mask that leaked out into her eyes.

The other next to her was a male with blue eyes and black hair cut close to his head, his skin was a pasty white color and he wore only a black hoodie and pair of jeans.

Clay looked from the new boy to Cloak and Sionnach. "Cloak, you and Whisper need to stay here. He was doing some recon and… well it looks like Portal's been caught up. Cyclops and Spades are running this way, and Turbulence is in the air. **Stay invisible**. Hopefully I can get back quickly with Portal and we can get out of this desert." Her tone was rushed and worried.

Cloak stood and grabbed her shoulders. "Do not do anything stupid Clay, please."

"No promises."

* * *

><p>Rogue didn't like what she was finding in the girl's memories. It had taken awhile, but she wasn't a fighter, and didn't have knowledge of Rogue's powers so she didn't know to stay farther away.<p>

The girl's name was Ash, that's all she could tell, and lived somewhere called the Haven. Ash had several bad experiences that she was unwilling to go into.

But a certain character in her memories, Clay Dune, was attracting her attention. Professor Xavier needed to know about this, but first she had to make sure Kurt and Storm were okay.

Lightning flashed out of the sky and hit the ground at the feet of the snake-man mutant. He leapt out of the way and hissed. He wasn't a fighter; this was a waste of time.

Flicking his tongue out he got a reading of where his comrades were. If he kept circling to the right he would meet up with Portal.

The woman he was fighting knew exactly what she was doing. Seth wasn't nearly experienced enough to deal with her one-on-one for long.

He backed up into a form. He spun around and hissed, baring his fangs. The shadows parted a little and he saw it was Portal.

"Thank goodnesssss." He sighed. "We need to go!"

"I know, I know… where's Ash?" Portal said tiredly. Her powers were directly related to her energy levels, and if she kept fighting in the style she liked, there would be no getting home.

Seth took a deep breath. "I'll take care of one of them. It'll buy ussss a little time. Try to contact Clay."

"No, Parselmouth, you don't have to do that." Portal tried saying in a convincing tone.

"Sssstay here." He commanded. With that he slunk back through the darkness to where Storm last was. She was now on the ground again looking for where her adversary had gone.

"If you are just going to hide, can we talk a little?" Storm called out into the darkness.

Seth slithered behind her. "Ssssorry. But we need to go." He bared his fangs and bit her shoulder.

Storm's eyes widened and she screamed. His fangs pierced deep and released some poison. She collapsed quietly and Seth stepped back.

He squinted his eyes shut and pushed the feeling of nausea out of his mind. He _hated_ doing that. It made him feel primal, instead of the civilized man he was. She would be fine, but the action was gruesome. Hopefully it would give the X-Men something to worry about, giving them an opportunity to run.

* * *

><p>Rogue ran up to Nightcrawler, who was struggling to see anything in the darkness.<p>

"You know, for a place with so little places to hide, that girl is pretty good." He sighed. "Hey, Rogue. Lose yours too?"

"Nah, she's out cold ovah…" She pointed behind her then frowned and pointed somewhere else, "…there-ish."

"Let's just find Storm and meet up with everyone else." Kurt said.

"Or… you could just stay there." A monotone voice muttered.

The two looked around and saw several shadows approaching.

Clay Dune (holding her curved sword) walked up. Her eyes glowed in the dark and seemed to pierce into the X-Men's very souls. She stuck her sword out and pointed at Rogue. In her other hand was Ash; she was dragging her along by the back of her uniform.

"_You! _What did you do to Ash?" Clay shouted. She tried to keep emotion out of her voice, but she was tired and most of her team… squad… was scattered.

Rogue glanced at the sword then answered. "Ah took a little off her mind. She'll be fine."

Clay continued to glare. Exhaustion was setting in. Like it or not, everyone has their limits, and she was deathly close to hers.

Ash lay on the ground next to her. Making no sound Worry streaked Clay's bright eyes. Ash had an incredibly high pain tolerance, but she wasn't immortal. If they hadn't have been so damn tired…

Portal ran out of the gloom to her leader. She looked at Ash's still form then to the X-Men.

"I'd be checking on your own, if I were you." She said with menace. Raising her arm a purple portal appeared over their heads.

Seth ran over with lanky strides just as the portal dropped to the ground and transported the Haven mutants away.

"Check on our own…? Storm!" Nightcrawler exclaimed.

"Try ta find her. Ah will contact the profesah. Maybe he's havin' better luck."

* * *

><p>Turbulence loved flying. It really was a load of fun. Only bad part was it used a lot of his concentration, so he had a hard time finding Cyclops and Spades.<p>

Now he flew overhead keeping a look out for any other surprises. He kept getting flashes of what Leo was doing and how he was fairing against his opponent. This "Knife" was impressive. Too bad she seemed to already be aligned with someone else.

He turned his eyes up and saw that ahead was an open stretch with just a sidewalk and some dirt. He pressed the side of his communicator.

"Hey, guys, up ahead looks like where they would be. I can't see anyone, but the one can turn invisible right?"

Cyclops answered over the earpiece. "Yeah, I hope this is them, I would love to stop searching."

Turbulence dived and went lower, he pushed more air behind him and aimed for more speed.

A quick flash of thought interrupted his concentration. Leo had pushed Knife into the same area they were headed for. He was letting more and more of the lion slip in to try and gain ground. It was working. He managed to grab a hold of her and slam her into the ground with significant force. She didn't get back up this time.

'_Finally.'_ Leo sighed to his brother. _'The professor's over here, he was helpin' me predict her next moves. Damn, she's good.'_

Turbulence almost flew into a light pole, and then swerved out of the way_. 'That's great! I think Sionnach and that other guy are up ahead.'_

'_Careful, we don't want to spook them._' Xavier broke into their thoughts.

The mutants raced toward the open space and stopped when they got there. Leo waved over at Cyclops and Spades, and Turbulence touched down next to him.

"So this is Knife?" Turbulence asked, pointing to the girl on the ground a short distance away.

"Yes, I tried to scan her mind, but she has an impressive shield." Professor Xavier said. "Luckily for Leo I pick up on patterns pretty well."

"_Zzzt-_ Professor!" Rogue's voice sounded over the communicators.

The professor cringed and responded. "Yes Rogue, what is it?"

"Ah, oh gawd, Ah don't know. Storm's-Storm's not movin'. It's too dark ta see. Ah think it was one of those mutants who attacked."

Cyclops pressed his communicator button. "Wait, you were attacked too?"

"Yeah, but… oh gawd!" She cried.

"Take her back to the jet, Rogue." Xavier said calmly. "We'll finish up here and meet you there."

"Careful! Some girl with a sword showed up and probably is coming your way." Nightcrawler finished.

The X-Men glanced around. Things just kept getting stranger.

A small gray sphere clipped to her belt flashed red. Leo's eyes widened and his own hand went to where he kept his own Haven communicator in his belt.

"What's that?" Cyclops asked. "Something's flashing on her belt." He bent down to remove it when it looked like he was hit over the head with something. He grunted and slumped over, rubbing his head. "What the—?"

There was a scuffling noise and Knife was dragged across the ground by a pair of invisible hands. The hands stopped and the air shimmered. Cloak appeared with his hood drawn up, standing over her.

"I would not do that." He muttered. Sionnach and Whisper materialized as well.

A purple portal swirled into existence behind him and out stepped Clay, Portal, and Seth carrying Ash.

Clay looked at Cloak, then to Knife on the ground. Fury boiled off of her in waves.

"That's it!" She roared. She started toward the X-Men, but Cloak grabbed her arm.

Leo looked at the group of mutants. He gasped as he looked at the snake humanoid.

"Mr. Severus?"

Seth looked at Leo, who had shifted back to human. "What… Leo? Why are you…?"

Professor interrupted. "Who are you?"

Clay grunted and shook Cloak off. "Who we are is no matter to you, not yet. Portal, we're leaving."

The girl with purple streaks in her hair nodded and stretched her arms out. Another portal appeared, this one obviously larger and stronger.

"Sionnach!" Xavier called. The teen turned and faced the professor. "We came to offer you somewhere to stay, a place for mutants to gain control."

"Funny, so did they." Sionnach laughed. He glanced at Cloak then back to the professor. "Thanks for the offer, but I'm going wherever he does."

He and Cloak backed out into the portal, followed by Whisper who dragged Knife through.

Seth looked at Leo again then turned and jumped through the portal. Portal went in as well.

Clay turned to follow her squad, and then turned.

"It's been awhile professor. Tell ol' Wolverine: Clay Dune says 'hello'." She smiled with her eyes and walked into the portal. It closed with a _whoosh_ after her.

* * *

><p><em>The Haven... Somewhere in North Dakota<em>

"And this, is your room." Clay said, gesturing to a door.

She was giving Sionnach a quick tour of the squad's floor.

The Haven was carved out of brown stone. The whole thing was like a cavern with a building inscribed inside. It was huge, and had at least twenty floors, the bottom one was a huge arena.

The metal door opened without a squeak and Sionnach examined his new home. The stone floor was ground smooth as were the walls. A carved out closet was in the corner, a bed in the center against the wall, and a dresser sat opposite it. There was another set of doors, though these had glass windows on the far wall. He looked back at Clay. She had taken off her mask and her face was much happier. Both Ash and Knife had awoken, and were no worse for wear.

She smiled. "Go ahead, check out the view."

Sionnach walked toward the doors and opened them. A small rock ledge with a metal gate jutted out from the smooth rock face. He'd asked where the Haven was and all he'd gotten was a "somewhere in North Dakota". Thinking about where Arizona was he was surprised it had just been one short five second inter-dimensional jump away.

The sun had long since gone down. The night sky was a dark navy with no light pollution to be found. The stars studded like jewels in the sky.

He smiled. Somehow Clay had known he loved the stars. She walked up next to him and looked out into the night.

"Welcome to the Haven."

* * *

><p><strong>And you just thought Seth Severus was only a background character. <strong>There was a lot of characters in this one so the last bit I got in over my head. It takes a great deal to keep everything straight in your head. Let me know how I did.

Next chapter will probably the X-Men's reaction to this and... of course... What Lance tells Kitty. Dun dun duuuun.

**'Til next time: ~Keep writing strong.**


	16. Chapter 15: Welcome to the Haven

**Disclaimer: The X-Men/Brotherhood don't belong to me, they belong to Marvel. I only have my OCs. Then the other OCs belong to wonderful reviewers (check the list on my profile for full acknowledgements)**

**Author's note:** One word, basketball.

Yes it was that fabulous time of year when basketball consumes your very soul. So this was a little late. Oh well. This chapter was a little hard for me to get through, again SO MANY CHARACTERS! I love it, but I hate it, you know? Anyways, last chapter was dedicated to San child of the wolves, and this one finally brings in AvengedVeralin's character Rena AKA Fenris in. Sorry for the wait, I was going to bring her in differently then thought better of it. Again suggestions are welcome.

**Enjoy. Read. Review. Basketball.**

* * *

><p>"Quickly, we need to get back to the jet." The professor said urgently.<p>

Leo stared at the empty spot where the Haven mutants used to stand. Seth… and Clay Dune. How did, when, why? He blinked repeatedly. It wasn't the time to think about it. Storm was in trouble, and he needed to be there.

Xavier called Nightcrawler over to help port the team to the jet. Within seconds they were all there.

"Rogue is inside with Storm… but—" Nightcrawler mumbled.

"Thanks Kurt." The professor said. He wheeled his way up the ramp.

There wasn't a ton of room inside the jet, but one of the back compartments had a sort of tiny medical bay. That's where Xavier found Rogue and Storm.

Storm was laid out on the surface that served as a bed. Her face was pale, and drenched in sweat. Rogue had removed her cape and it lay next to her.

Rogue looked up from where she knelt next to Storm, her gloved hand around Storm's. Her face was paler than usual as well, and the professor could sense her worry.

"Professah!" She cried. "Thank gawd ya're here! Storm…"

"Calm, Rogue. I'll take it from here. Get everyone else in the jet." He responded.

* * *

><p>"Is Storm going to be okay?"<p>

Xavier folded his hands under his chin and looked through the glass of the sick-bay to where Storm lay on a bed. He turned when he heard the voice. Scott, Rogue, Kurt, Leo, Benj, and Spades stood expectantly behind him. The other students, minus Jean and Kitty, were filtering in as well, followed by Beast and Logan. Everyone was anxious to know how Storm was. They'd just returned from their failed recruitment mission of Sionnach Fae.

The professor sighed. "I… I don't know." He paused as Logan and Beast walked up beside him. "As far as I can tell the venom she was injected with doesn't exist in nature. Aside from that it appears she's only in a coma, the venom hasn't started attacking any of her organs. It's almost like it was a strong dose of tranquilizer."

Logan let out a soft growl. "I shoulda been there."

"I don't think there was anything you could have done, Logan." Xavier said gently.

"What happened exactly?" Beast asked.

"We were attacked." Rogue grumbled. "Me, Storm, and Kurt were gonna join in the seahrch when three mutants came out nowhere."

"They were killer fighters." Kurt added. "One had teleportation powers, but different than mine. They split us up then—"

"Then musta gotten Storm." Rogue finished.

Xavier looked to Logan. "Clay Dune was there."

Logan's eye twitched then he slammed his fist into the wall. "CLAY DUNE? She was behind this?"

"We don't know that for sure."

"Who's Clay Dune?" Scott asked. Everyone looked confused, no one had heard her name before. Well, that is, everyone except Leo.

"About ten years ago Cerebro picked up a mutant signature in Nebraska. Logan, Storm, and I went to try and recruit her. She… had other ideas." Xavier answered.

Logan snorted. "Yeah, _other ideas._ Dune seemed to be under the influence of someone else. Let's just say not only were her powers impressive, but she also had a knack for hand-to-hand combat." He looked over at Leo. "She would have made a nice addition to the Institute. You got anything to say Leo?"

Leo froze. He could feel the heat of everyone's eyes turning to him. "The snake guy, Mr. Severus was my mutant supervisor at the zoo. I don't know how he got, or why, or what-"

"Relax, Leo. You're not on trial here." The professor interrupted. "Everyone why don't you return to your rooms? It's been a long night."

"Mansion's gonna be on lock-down soon." Logan snorted. "So Rogue you better find where Kitty's hidin'."

* * *

><p>The stars glittered down on a couple in a green Jeep. It was Kitty and Lance.<p>

Kitty took her head off of his shoulder and pulled away. "Alright Lance, you've, like, stalled long enough." She teased. Kitty was still oblivious to the events surrounding Sionnach Fae and the X-Men.

Lance grimaced and sighed. "The only reason I'm tellin' you this is so you don't get hurt. You can't tell anyone!"

"I kinda already told Rogue." Kitty admitted shyly.

He turned and frowned. "Fine, she can know. But make her swear not to say a word. I especially don't want Xavier to know."

"Like why not?"

"'Cause he'd somehow let it slip to magneto, and I'd be dead meat."

"How's the Brotherhood Boarding House, like, coming along anyway?"

Lance closed his eyes and sat back. The contractors had started work on the house nearly a week ago. Things were going along well; Magneto had made arrangements for them to stay at a hotel downtown while the major renovations were under-way. That was nice while it lasted.

The contractors had also asked everyone how they wanted their room to be. Magneto must have been planning to expand their ranks because several empty bedrooms were added and everyone given their private space.

Lance had asked for a similar arrangement to what he had in one of his foster homes…

It had been a small house in Ohio, the best foster family he'd lived with. They were a middle-aged couple with no children of their own; he had been twelve. They'd promised that if he wasn't adopted by his fourteenth birthday, they would adopt him. He loved it there, it was the closest thing to a real family he'd had. Then there was an incident at school. His powers flared up and smashed the awards' case. He was blamed (it _was_ his fault after all) and expelled. Social services swooped in and accused his foster parents of not doing enough. It wasn't true, but they wouldn't listen. He was moved out of that home and he made it his mission to keep getting moved. From there it was to another town in Ohio, one in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Ohio again, and even Boston, Massachusetts (he stayed there for two weeks before being moved), until he landed in New York in the same place as Kitty.

He started to realize why people hated mutants so much, they always seemed to bring pain and destruction_. _

_Just think of what could have happened if you hadn't been moved from that house, _he thought, _you could have had a real family_.

When his powers went haywire again he could've been discovered by Xavier. He could have been an X-Man to start with, alongside Kitty. There would be no challenge with living in the Brotherhood House, no days where he had gone hungry, who knows what could have happened?

"Lance?"

"Huh- wah?" Lance pulled out of his reverie back to Kitty. "Oh, yeah the Brotherhood House ain't too bad no more. Magneto's gotten contractors to expand the house and fix our rooms. I'm just glad the mold will be gone."

"That's great!" Kitty smiled.

He still felt the pressure behind her words to talk. "Alright listen. Magneto's told us about this place called the Haven. Apparently a ton of mutants live there."

"What? How did—?"

"I don't know, just listen. He's interested in some of the most powerful mutants there for some far off plans of his. He says a war is coming. He wants to train fighters to fight for mutants, and these mutants are genuinely against humans. They're a bunch of criminals or something…"

Kitty let that sink in. It's not like she didn't expect something weird to happen, after all they'd only just beaten Apocalypse, but a whole community of mutants? Well there were the Morlocks, so maybe it wasn't too unrealistic.

"But this doesn't seem like it affects us." Kitty said. "Like, I guess Magneto can do what he wants."

"Weren't you listenin'? He's preparin' for a WAR. He's not recruitin' them for no reason, he's tryin' to recruit an army. You think Xavier will stand for this? Magneto's gonna have us go to great costs to get the mutants he wants."

She sat back. "And what am I, like, supposed to do?" Kitty grew frustrated. Lance was dumping this information on her with little purpose for her to do anything.

"Stop us." Lance begged. His voice was quiet and tugged at Kitty's heart.

_He's seriously afraid of what they'll do._ Kitty thought.

"I can try, but you'll have to let us in on what's happening so we can block Magneto." Kitty looked at Lance. "You know you could, like, just try the Institute again—"

"No." Lance declared.

"I mean if you don't like what the Brotherhood are doing, you know?"

Lance frowned. "Can we stop talking about this, please? I just want to enjoy bein' here with you." He leaned over in his seat and kissed her.

The moment was crushed by a buzzing noise. Kitty pulled back and looked down at her purse. Rummaging through it she pulled out her cell phone, but it wasn't ringing.

"What the?" She whispered. _The communicator!_

She fished around some more and pulled out the blue-tooth looking device. Sticking it in her ear she activated the microphone.

"Uh… hello?" She answered, confused.

"Kitty! Oh gawd, am Ah glad ya answahed! It's Storm, ya need ta come back ta the Institute." Rogue's voice echoed over the device.

"What do you mean? What's wrong with Storm?"

"Ya just gotta get back here now. We were attacked while on a recruitin' mission. Storm's in some sorta coma, and the professah's goin' a bit nuts."

"Ororo's a tough lady, I'm sure she'll be—"

"No, ya're not gettin' this. Logan's decided the Institute ought ta be on lockdown, and as soon as he realizes ya aren't here, he'll freak."

"Alright, alright… Lance and I were, like, just heading home."

"Good, Ah'll be at the gate." Rogue said as her voice clicked off.

Lance stuck his keys in the ignition. "You know, I always liked Storm." He turned his head to Kitty. "I really hope she's okay."

Kitty smiled as they pulled out. The tone of Rogue's voice made her hope so too.

* * *

><p>Broken limbs and blood smeared across the pavement. His breathing increased and the pain exploded again. With a scream, Sionnach Fae sat bolt upright in his bed.<p>

His door crashed open and a girl wielding a sword leaped in. It was Clay Dune, but she was in a plain T-shirt and flannel pajama pants. The curved sword looked comical against her clothing, but her tan-gray face was streaked with that signature intensity she had.

Clay looked down at Sionnach then sighed. No one was attacking; it must have been a nightmare. She was really getting jumpy.

Sionnach grasped his head in his hands and did his best not to cry. "I killed them."

The Haven leader had turned to leave, but turned back as he spoke. "Yeah, you did. What are you goin' to do about it?" She said in a harsh, but truthful tone.

He glared up at her and jumped down to the floor. A snarl escaped his lips and he approached her. "I can't do anything, they're dead!"

"Exactly." Clay agreed, sheathing her sword. Her idea was to pick a fight and try to get him to focus his mind elsewhere.

He cursed and choked back a sob. "You don't have any idea what this is like!" The morning sun streaked into the room and gave Sionnach's face an orange glow. "My little brother was killed, by me."

Clay nodded. She waited for him to continue.

"You know what? Screw you. Get out." He snarled.

She shrugged, not everyone was willing to look at their issues when they first got to the Haven. "K, I'll let you know when breakfast gets here."

The new mutant glared at the exiting girl. He couldn't understand what her problem was. Then again he did, she was a mutant, and _they_ were monsters.

His heart ached. Once again tears tried to push their way to the surface and he fought them down. Tired, he sunk back onto his bed. He just wanted to shrivel up and die, and then he would never have to face his problems. Having the death of three hanging over one's head was a terrible experience.

Clay closed the door behind her and walked down the short hallway into the common room. Like everything else it was carved out of the rock, and had a huge couch, several chairs, and a television with a gaming station in the center. Off to the side was an area for eating.

Since it was a Saturday morning, late at that, most of the other members of the squad were up. Clay walked over to an armchair and sank down into it.

Whisper and another mutant were playing a video game from the couch. Whisper's pale appearance made sense; he mostly only played video games. He wore pajama pants and a black T-shirt.

The mutant next to him had a fierce appearance. He looked like a mix of a small dragon and a crocodile. Silver and gray scales covered his entire body, except on his stomach and forearms. He had a huge crocodile snout, filled with razor sharp teeth, a pair of horns stuck out to the sides of his head from his forehead, while another stuck out of the middle of his forehead, his silver fin-like ears were covered in soft silvery fur at the base and folded easily into his head, and three more horns jutted out from under his chin. The mutant wasn't wearing a shirt, probably due to the fact that there were spikes covering his shoulders, pointing up, out, and down to protect his bony arms. There was also a large spike that looked like a twisted tree branch that spiraled around his upper arms. A curved spike extended from his elbow and his forearms were skinny and ended in hands with black claws and small spikes on his knuckles. His bare chest was covered in thick silver scales, like body armor, and ended at the base of his ribcage. Soft silver down-like fur covered his stomach, and probably continued to his upper legs, but he was wearing a pair of baggy ripped jeans. Through the tears dark gray scales were visible, and the tears in the knees revealed a series of spikes on his joints. His feet looked like he always stood on the balls of his feet and had large curved claws. Spikes descended down his spine, mingling with a dark gray mane of hair. A long whip-like tail extended behind him and ended in several sharp spikes.

Despite the drastic physical mutations, the mutant had a child-like gleam in his bright aquamarine eyes.

The two mutants were engrossed in their game and pressed the controllers' buttons with increasing fierceness.

The game beeped and blinked, and the other mutant cheered.

"Ye-ah!" He yelled. His voice was that of a nine-year old kid, but anyone would think he was older because of how he looked and his height. "Take that Xander!"

"Come on, Nico! One more game! I swear I'll beat you this time!" Whisper, Xander, whined. There was a comical note in his voice, as though he was purposely losing for the younger boy's sake.

Clay smiled and glanced around. Ash sat in another armchair and impassively watched the activities about her. Knife was coming out of a doorway down the hallway on the opposite side of the room. She yawned and her eyes brightened when she saw the TV on.

"I play winner!" She called, running quickly toward the couch and leaping over the back, landing on the cushion next to Xander.

A hiss filled the air and Seth slinked out of a corner. "I'll be in my room. Reading, away from you kidsssss." He didn't mingle well with the others since he was so much older.

Cloak watched from the wall off to the left and smiled. He looked down at a large wolf-dog at his side. The hound had dark brown fur streaked with black and copper that accented her muscular features.

"Well Rena, are you going to try _los videos juegos_ this time?" Cloak asked softly mixing Spanish and English.

The hound, Rena, looked up at him and said bluntly, "No. Those devices will melt my brain."

Cloak chuckled silently and connected his eyes with Clay. "Hey boss, Sionnach okay?"

She nodded. "Looks like it, probably just a nightmare. Where's Portal?"

The white-haired teen laughed in his silent way. "Catching up on her 'beauty rest'." His expression sobered up. "All the use of her power really left her drained."

Rena shuffled her paws. "I could have helped." Her voice came strangely from her wolf muzzle.

Clay shook her head. "You were on sentry patrol. No one likes it, but it has to be done."

Rena growled. "Ash and Zendi got hurt! And I wasn't there to help." Her ears flattened down close to her skull. "I could have stopped them."

Cloak placed his hand on her head to sooth her. "It is not your fault, things were going to happen one way or another."

Clay was about to speak up when a voice sounded from the hall.

"RATIONS CALL!"

"Hold on." Clay said, rising and going to a large metal door. With a yank she opened it and she stepped just outside to talk to mutant with a cart of food. The food was sectioned off in paper bags with each squad member's mutant name on them.

The mutant standing there was dark-skinned, his face wrinkled in a smile. He wore simple slops, he was a kitchen worker after all.

"Oi, Clay." His deep voice rumbled. "I gots some food for ya."

"Thanks, Digger. What's up?" She said.

"Nothing too extreme. Heard ya brought in another yesterday. Jaller's gonna freak." Digger chuckled.

"Planning on it." She paused as she examined the food. "Wait… this can't be it. We need at least one more meal for the new guy, and where's Cloak's meal?" She looked in a few of the bags, all of which contained some dried meat and bread. "You know he's a vegetarian, he can't eat this."

Digger frowned. Holding up his hands he answered. "I only bring up the food, Clay. Chances are Jaller found out and is punishing you for the new guy. He knows you'd give up your meal for another. I don't know how he would have gotten it though… I swear I brought one up for everyone…"

"What, is he goin' to challenge me?"

"Who knows, he probably thinks you will. He'll try and keep you weak as long as possible. Listen, I'll run down to the kitchen—"

"Thanks." Clay said. "But really, this is it? We brought in at least enough for another week just two days ago, where the hell did it go?" She growled angrily.

"Who knows… things are hard now. You gots any idea how many mutants here want you back as leader? Jaller's takin' a total power trip."

"I wish I could…"

"You know that if you challenge him he'll force you to compete with your team, right?"

Clay narrowed her eyes. "That wuss. He knows he can't beat me fair and square. Now he wants to drag my squad in? Half of them aren't fighters!"

"Hey, you took them on."

"Yeah, because I wanted to help them! Unlike _him_ I care about other mutants." She growled. "I don't know why Darth allows him to stay in power."

"He's gots the big picture to worry about. I think it's all part of his plan anyways." Digger shrugged.

"…I guess. How's school at Beaver Creek?"

Digger looked down at his right arm. His arm up to his elbow was sleek black metal, his fingers were slightly pointed. He flexed his arm as he answered. "You know how it is. Was hard enough when I simply had to pretend I gots a skin condition instead of a metal arm… but now everyone knows I'm a mutant. I can't wait until my team gets to transfer to Bayville. Lots more mutants there; we wouldn't be so alone."

Clay sighed and took his metal hand. "Things are bad everywhere, but we'd be happy to have you guys alongside us."

"You and me both, Clay."

Clay chuckled. She shook Digger's hand and grabbed the cart. "Thanks again Digger, and send my best wishes to your squad. I hope you guys are doing okay."

"We'll live, but the anti-mutant rallies across the country is giving everyone trouble. I just want to be normal." Digger said sadly as he turned to go back down for more food deliveries.

"You know we're better than normal!" She called after him.

"Yeah, I just wish everyone else would see it that way." Digger said as the doors of the lift closed.

The shape-shifter turned back inside.

"FOOD!" Knife yelled.

The rest of the squad shot up and charged toward Clay and the food cart. Clay dodged around them and wheeled the cart over to a long table off to the side.

"Alright, alright!" She yelled. "Sit down ya hooligans!" She looked to Cloak she smiled sadly. "Sorry Cloak, they didn't have any meatless breakfast, Digger was going back down to the kitchen to check."

"It is all right." He sighed, looking hungrily at the food. "You want me to get Sionnach?"

"Nah, I got it." Clay said, grabbing her bag and turning toward the new mutant's room. "Why don't you wake Portal up and let Parselmouth know?"

"Sure."

"And Fenris, please?" Clay turned back around to see the wolf-dog sitting at the table with both paws on the surface. "Careful not to scratch the wood this time."

Rena barked in acknowledgement and dug into her food.

The green-eyed mutant shouldered Sionnach's door open and walked in. "Breakfast." She said bluntly.

Sionnach rotated his head from his position on his bed. He had been staring at the ceiling, a trail of tears streaked his cheeks, and his gold eyes were having trouble focusing.

"Not hungry." He grunted, flopping onto his stomach.

The other mutant stepped farther into the room and placed her hands on her hips. "You _will_ eat this, whether you're hungry or not."

"Uh, no." He said, sitting up this time and angrily swiping at his cheeks.

Clay examined her fingers and said nonchalantly, "Listen, I don't really care if you eat this or not, but this was going to be my food." She took the bread out and held it at an arm's length out to him. "Now again, eat if you want to, otherwise I'm gonna give it to the others, they haven't had a full meal in a while."

Sionnach stood and came over to her. "Why wouldn't you eat it?"

"Because," she said irritated, "I already made up my mind to give it to you so if you do or don't eat it, I'll be hungry. I'd prefer no one else on my squad had to be."

The boy threw his hands up in anger. "Fine, whatever, give me the bag."

Clay handed it over then stood quietly. Sionnach almost twitched under her gaze.

"You got something else to say?" He growled.

"You need to talk about it."

"About what? I haven't done…" His voice faltered. He looked down at the ground.

"Why don't you meet the others?" Clay suggested. "Maybe then you can see you're not just the only one."

Sionnach stuffed the rest of the contents of the bag in his mouth and growled. "I don't want to meet any filthy mutants."

"Uh, newsflash?" Clay said, grabbing his shoulder. "You're a mutant, you're just as 'filthy'."

Sionnach shoved her back but she didn't leave. Instead she forcibly grabbed his arm and dragged him out the door.

"Hey! Let go!"

When they exited the hallway she steered him toward the table and held him in place.

"Now everyone, please say 'hi' to our newest member: Sionnach Fae!" Clay commanded. There was a chorus of hellos. "Now please introduce yourself."

As introductions went around the table Sionnach grew more and more twitchy. He avoided eye contact with everyone, fearful of what had happened before to his brother.

At this point Clay added to their introductions. She pointed to the girl with dark brown hair, tan skin and pointed ears. "Zendi Idnez, or Knife, is able to run faster than average, is extremely flexible, agile, and is able to climb up walls."

She gestured to the wolf-dog. "Rena AKA Fenris, hey can you do your human morph for a sec." The dog nodded and her body melted into that of a fifteen-year-old girl with long dark brown hair that was streaked with black and copper. Her eyes were different colors as well, the left was blue and the right was amber, her pupils were slits, giving her a calm but piercing look. Wolf ears poked out just above her hair. Dark sharp nails extended from her fingertips. She wore a heavy dark vest with a hood, that was currently up casting a shadow over her face, a black undershirt, black three-quarter pants, layered armbands on her lower arms, and armored pads on her elbows and knees. "Thanks, anyways, she can obviously switch between wolf and human as well as manipulate sound."

She then pointed to the youngest mutant, Nico, who looked like a silver dragon almost. "Nicolas Wolfe, Nico, or Wyvern, here is nine. Since he's too young to serve actively on the team he mostly just trains with us, his sister," Clay pointed to the short girl who had a blank look on her face, "Ash can heal animals, shape-shifters and mutants with physical mutations even though it causes her pain, use the abilities of a variety of animals, and talk to animals."

Next was Whisper, who was drinking coffee from a coffee cup like he might not get another, "Xander Green's powers consist of a different kind of telepathy. His spirit kinda leaves his body and he can influence people by telling them to do something in this state, it's sort of the more he feels the harder it is to resist."

She turned to Seth, "Parselmouth here is our oldest member, and his powers are basically his physical mutation, but he is also able to excrete a venom from his fangs that will render the victim in a coma for about a day, as well as a python's strength."

Following Seth was Portal. "Portia Manderson, or Portal, can create inter-dimensional pathways that can transport people and things across long distances. Only problem is it makes her weak if she uses her powers too much."

Clay smiled as she got to the last person. "I believe you've already met Cloak, his human name is Enrique Oculto. He can turn invisible and cloak others with him. He also can make places as large as the Haven here seemingly vanish from radar and view. But as always, there's a catch, he's gotta be awake or the effect will slowly begin to fade."

Sionnach looked at the crowd of people in front of him and sighed. Then he turned to Clay. "And what about you, 'oh mighty leader'? What can you do?"

Clay smiled wide and stepped back. "I'm a cell shifter. A little different from a shape-shifter, mind you. I can do normal shape-shifting stuff as well as split myself into a few different personas, and throw parts of myself at others. I'm also a superb swordsmen."

Sionnach raised an eyebrow and scoffed. "A little full of yourself now? What's your real name?"

Clay frowned. "My _real _name is Clay Dune, but if you mean my human name it's Claire Daniels, now Darth."

"That is what I meant idiot."

The air seemed to buzz around the two strong willed mutants. "Well, be more specific next time, eh?" Clay warned. "Now, we've got trained in twenty, I expect everyone suited up in ten. Go!"

The group scrambled, leaving Clay and Sionnach standing there.

"You too." She said to him.

He chuckled. "Yeah right, no uniform. Looks like I can't. Besides, you showing me those guys didn't help me any. They're nothing like me."

"Oh really?" Clay asked, stepping in front of his face. "Fenris, the wolf, she killed a group of hunters and later thugs with only her voice. Nico, although he seems young, mistakenly killed two guys when they attacked him, Ash was with him. Zendi's parents were assassins and tried to drag her into the business. She was attacked by her brother, and barely escaped alive. Xander caused the bully at his school to kill himself before he knew what his powers could do. Portal sent five guys into the Hudson after a confrontation on a bridge. Seth's been lucky, only was beaten half to death for 'disturbing the peace' in Florence. Cloak hates to kill but he's caused the deaths of perhaps three people. Then there's me. I killed ten policemen. I may act like it doesn't bother me, but those men and women had families, I stole them from theirs. Most of these things were accidents, like what happened with your brother and his friends. We don't pretend to understand. We get it. You need to realize that." Clay finished, agitated.

Sionnach didn't respond but walked away. "Whatever, I'll be ready in a few."

* * *

><p>Rogue stood just outside the gates impatiently. Kitty was supposed to be there about then. Finally the Jeep came into view.<p>

Rogue glared as Lance pulled up and stopped, too slowly for her taste.

"Come on Kit, Logan gave me five minutes to wait for ya, and we already used four." Rogue urged.

"Alright, alright." Kitty said, phasing through the Jeep door. "Uh, like see you later Lance."

Lance nodded and took off again.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"What did he tell ya about the Brothahhood?"

"I'll tell you when we get inside. I think we're in for it now."

* * *

><p>"Did you tell her?"<p>

"Yes…"

"And?"

"…And she fell for it."

* * *

><p><strong>Insert dramatic music. I don't want to say too much because it ruins the feel, but hope it was good. Lance is changing in my story to a kind of good guy, or at least not "bad guy". Meh... so there might be another break in my writing. I won't have good access to a computer for over a week, but I'll do my best to write... MANUALLY! Gah!<strong>

**Also starting on another fic soon, stick around for that and the rest of D-Factor. Until next time...**


	17. Chapter 16: Limitations

**Disclaimer: The X-Men and Brotherhood belong to Marvel. Several OCs belong to their repective authors, including a few being me.**

**Author's note:** ...bleh

So to your great joy, I am back and not dead. I did suffer from a terrible cold though. It's been 3 weeks almost, a horrifying amount of time for me to have not updated, but finally Chapter 16 is here, and soon will be followed closely behind by Chapter 17 (Monday I predict). There's not much I need to say except if I am missing again for a long span of time: check my profile. Chances are I've updated the "What's going on?" section (in the middle), saying something about my excuse for not having a new chapter up. This chapter originally had a different intro, but that is on a different computer so I'll probably update it with the next chapter.

**Enjoy. _Lee_. Review. Learn a bit of Spanish.**

* * *

><p>"Good, good Benj. You are improving."<p>

Benj and Strom stood in the center of the Danger Room, which was enveloped in a dense fog. Storm's recovery was nothing short of miraculous; the poison seemingly vanished from her system around twenty-five hours after injection. It was Wednesday of that week, a time when Benj had scheduled his "power discovery" as the professor liked to call it.

"Now try to get rid of it." Storm suggested.

Benj wiped some condensation from his goggles and took a deep breath. Extending his arms outward he reached out with his powers.

In the short amount of time he'd been at the Institute he'd pretty much figured out how his powers worked. At first Storm suggested they might be emotion driven, like here, but soon that proved to be false. They worked when he could "grasp" the air around him and bent it to his will. He found it difficult to explain it to other people, but he understood them now. An almost extension of himself was what the air became when he opened his mind to it.

As of then Benj was focusing on bringing the temperature in the room up a bit to dispense of the fog.

Storm watched calmly as he closed his extended hands into fists. She herself could feel the atmospheric change in the room. He appeared to be conquering his limitations with ease.

Benj lowered his arms to his sides slowly. Even with his eyes closed he knew the fog was gone.

With evident pleasure he examined the Danger Room and saw that indeed, the fog had receded.

"Alright!" He cheered. "What next Ms. O?"

Storm chuckled at his glee. "Let's try something more difficult." She walked over and pressed a panel on the wall. "try to knock the target over with a wind gust, without using yourself as a starting point."

Benj blinked at her for a second.

"Do not channel the air through you." Storm clarified. "You are quite good at that."

The teen shuffled his feet, brushed some blonde hair from his face, and readjusted his gloves with the yellow accents. "Okay, ready!"

Storm tapped the panel again and off to the left above her a platform slid out with a four-foot-tall block atop it.

"How much does it weigh?" Benj asked as he analyzed it.

"What does it matter? The only thing you need to know is that it can fall if pushed hard enough." Storm replied almost smugly.

He grumbled something under his breath as he took a stance. He moved his arms to the left side of his torso and took a deep breath. He tried to "grasp" some air to the side of the block and drag it across with the force needed.

The whoosh of the air was audible but the block didn't move.

Slightly disheartened, Benj attempted his task again. And again… and again.

His powers just wouldn't stretch like that. Any sort of wind gust he had to channel through or right around him.

Frustrated, Benj cut his arm down across his body sending a slash of air flying at the block. When it struck the block was sent flying into the wall behind it.

"Not quite what I-"

"Sorry, I'm limited." Benj cut off harshly.

"_Sorry, I'm limited. What the hell do you want me to do Marsha?"_ A man's voice sliced through Benj's thoughts.

"Gah!" Benj gasped suddenly, clutching his head and falling to his knees.

"_Please, Rick not around him."_ This time it was a woman's.

"_Him? Did you see what he did? I need some answers here!"_

"Benj! Benj! What's wrong?" Storm cried out. To the teen her voice sounded foggy and distant.

"No…" Benj whispered, his eyes going wide. He knew what happened next.

"_It's not __**normal**__. No boy should have that kind of power!" _The man shouted from inside of Benj's head.

"_Stop it Rick! We'll talk about this at home! Pay attention to the road!" _The woman screamed.

"_Dad look out!"_ A young boy's voice echoed followed closely by screeching wheels and the sound of groaning metal and breaking glass.

"_I loved you son… don't ever think I didn't..."_

"Benj!" Storm yelled again, coming to his side. Gently she placed a hand on his shoulder. He twitched slightly at her touch and placed his hands on the ground. His breathing was heavy and his shoulders shook. "What happened?"

He took in a shaky breath and tore off his goggles, flinging them across the room. "I don't really know… nothing like that's ever happened before."

"Do you want to talk with the professor?"

"Yeah, that would help." Storm started to walk away then Benj stood up and stopped her. "Wait! Storm, could… could I ask you something?"

"Of course." She answered, turning around.

"Have… have you ever lost someone that was close to you?"

Storm frowned slightly and saw that Benj's eyes had gotten misty. "Yes, my nephew, Evan."

"How did you deal with it? I mean I thought I had this figured out, but it just never goes away."

"It isn't something that just goes away, Benj. I believe everyone deals with these things a different way. Sometimes having good friends by your side is the best way to move through it." She paused. "Who was it? Your godparents?"

Benj stood staring at the ground. "No, it was my birthparents. I don't really know why, but somehow the memory of their death took over my consciousness. Problem is… I've never remembered it like that before." He turned his head up. "I've always had this limited memory of it, the psychologist said I was suppressing it, but I… I just don't know." His voice cracked a little.

Storm walked closer and put an arm around him. "How old were you when they died?"

"Seven…" He whispered, leaning into her hug.

"Only seven? Oh you poor child."

They stood there for quite some time, student and teacher, sharing their limitations.

* * *

><p>The late afternoon sun peeked out from behind the leaves of the tree on the back of the grounds of the Xavier Institute. Underneath it sat two teens, Rogue and Benj, each reading their own books. Benj's head was in Rogue's lap, and she leaned against the trunk of the tree.<p>

After a while Rogue set her book aside and looked down at Benj.

"Alright, what's goin' on." She said. "Ya've been on that page for neahrly twenty minutes."

The boy turned his turquoise eyes up to look at her face.

"Are ya mad at me or somethin' too?" Rogue asked.

"No! Of course not!" Benj said. "Wait, too? Who else is mad at you?"

"Claire Darth, at least Ah think so… she ain't talkin' ta me for some reason." Rogue trailed off. "Now, what is goin' on?"

He started to open his mouth.

"Now don't ya lie ta me Benj."

He sighed. "I had some sorta 'mental pulse' during my session with Storm. Professor X says it's completely normal for psychics and telepaths. I… I had a flashback to my parents car crash." He waited for Rogue to say something. When she didn't, he continued. "Thing is that I never remembered the conversation before… it's like someone deleted that part from my memory."

"What did they say?"

"My dad was talkin' bout my powers, and my mom sounded like she knew something, but was just tryin' to calm him down." Benj sat up and leaned on the tree. "Could it have been possible one of my parents was a mutant? Did I miss out on something?"

"Ya'll nevah know. Don't focus on what coulda been, focus on the now. Othahwise ya'll always be limited by yar mind." Rogue said, brushing his hair from his face.

Benj closed his eyes, soaking in the sun. "Haven't you ever wondered 'what if'?"

"All the time."

Benj looked over at her.

"Really, think about it. Ah shoulda been with the X-Men to begin with, Mystique tricked me inta doin' everything Ah nevah wanted. Then there's the 'what if Ah nevah joined the X-Men.' Ah think everyone of the team's thought that, but everything happens for a reason."

He sighed. Everything just had to have a reason. "Well, I for one am glad you did join the X-Men." He grabbed her hand. "Even if it gets me gutted by Wolverine eventually." He kissed her glove.

"Awww, yar entrails will make beautiful decorations." Rogue laughed.

Benj took out his phone and opened a stop-watch app. "Want to see how long we can go this time?" He asked with a smile.

"Ya're nearly as insane as yar brothah. Ya are willin' to _try_ ta pass out?" Rogue teased.

"Eh, it's plenty fun for a while." He pressed the start button and cupped Rogue's head in his hand. "Stop it when I pass out."

He brought his lips to hers, receiving a bit of a thrill. The same feeling was projected from Rogue as they sat under that tree.

He put his other hand behind her neck and drew her in closer, savoring the moments. Rogue twisted his long blonde hair in her fingers, enjoying the feeling of skin-to-skin.

Sadly both could also feel her powers taking effect. Rogue could feel the air moving around her as an extension of her physical movements. Benj, on the other hand, felt is energy being sapped out of him. He unwillingly let out a groan and his eyes started to roll to the back of his head.

Rogue felt him pull away and she let him fall back onto his back. She smiled when she saw him with a small grin on his face.

"Moron." She whispered, stopping the stop-watch. Forty-five seconds… he'd probably need medical attention this time.

* * *

><p><em>The Haven<em>

Clay grabbed some cash she'd been saving up off of her desk in her room. Unlike the other's rooms, Clay's didn't look very lived in, and had no bed. Instead there was just a mat and pillow on the floor. Most of her squad member's rooms had some sort of personalization, like a poster or such, but the closest thing she had was an armor rack and a holster for her sword.

As she left the room she turned back and was tempted to grab the sword and take it with her. Zendi walked down the hall and paused, seeing that Clay was looking back inside her room.

"You don't need to take it everywhere, you know?" Zendi said to her friend.

Clay let out a low whine and turned to face Zendi. The elf smiled reassuringly. "It takes some getting used to, but I suppose walking 'round with a weapon is considered… unwelcome." She closed the door softly behind her and took a deep breath.

"The knife too." Zendi prodded.

Her friend sighed and pulled a Swiss army knife out of her boot. "Happy now?"

"Why are you so anxious for an attack all the time?"

"Because it's happened before…" Clay muttered. She extended the knife to Zendi. "Take it Zen, please?"

She compiled. "So headin' out?"

"Yeah, wanna come with? I was gonna buy a new video game for Nico. Since he's here a lot by himself I don't want him to get too bored and lonely."

"Did Ash ask you to?" Zen asked as they continued down the short hall to the common's area.

"She suggested which one to get, but it was a kinda mutual plan." Clay answered.

The pair looked around the common's area which was mostly empty except for Cloak, Sionnach, and Portal. Cloak was struggling through a book for English, Sionnach was zoned into the television, and Portal was just walking in from the outward door.

"Hey Portal, mind givin' us a lift to Bayville?" Clay asked.

"Sure thing!" The girl with purple-streaks in her hair said cheerfully. "Just was about to start my homework anyways." She added glumly.

"Perk-up there!" Clay shouted. "It could always be worse."

"Yeah, you could be stuck reading an entire book in Spanish." Cloak grumbled, trying a new position on the couch. Them reading a whole book in Spanish was like him reading his English book. He got most of it, but it gave him a head ache.

"Sorry Ricky, I wish I could help," Portal apologized, "but I have a lot of homework to do."

"I get it." Cloak sighed.

Sionnach turned his head slightly and commented. "I'll help you out, no promises I'll be a ton of help though." He turned to face Clay. "So if you're so proud of being a mutant, why do you use your shape-shifting to change your skin color to something normal?"

Before she could answer Zendi butted in. "She loves being mutant as much as anybody, but that doesn't mean she likes being blatantly discriminated against."

Sionnach shrugged and turned off the TV. He moved next to Cloak and began asking him questions about the book.

Portal swept her arm up and conjured up a swirling purple portal. "There ya go, one mid-sized gateway to Bayville. Don't know why you want to go there though… I get enough of it during the day."

Clay and Zendi jumped through the portal and emerged in, as usual, a dark alley.

"So got a store in mind?" Zendi asked.

"Yep, follow me."

The two made their way through the already darkening streets to a store Zendi recognized as one they also stole food from on occasion.

"Really?" Zendi laughed.

"Eh, I feel like we should pay them back a little." Clay shrugged. They made their way to the back of the store where the small selection of video games was. It took less than five minutes to find the game and pay for it.

As they made their way toward the exit of the store they overheard a commotion at the check-out counter.

"Come on, man! I'm just tryin' to pay for some food!" A male teenage voice said.

"I'm sorry, but I have the right to refuse service to anyone, especially to you muties!" The clerk answered back.

The two girls turned around to watch the scene.

The clerk at the counter was a short bald man with glasses. The customer trying to pay wore only jeans, his upper body was covered in tan plates of armor, ending at his head in a short of helmet. He held a few loaves of bread and a couple cans in a store basket, as well as money to pay for it.

"I am gonna pay for it." The mutant repeated.

Clay's eyes widened as she recognized him as Evan Daniels, or Spyke, a former X-Man. She'd done enough research on them to put names and powers to faces, and there was no mistaking him.

"That kid used to be one of the X-Men." Clay whispered to Zendi. "He's a hero, helped stop Apocalypse, and here he is being treated like scum!"

Zendi ground her teeth together. "Yeah, well what can we do without drawing a lot of attention to ourselves?"

"I got an idea, I'm gonna make him look like the hero he is. Stay here" She ordered, handing the game to Zendi before leaving.

Zendi sighed and leaned against a shelf. Clay liked to come up with the crazy plans.

Suddenly through the door burst a man in a ski mask. He held a metal pipe in his hand and approached the counter with speed.

Instantly Zendi could tell it was Clay, she had left her eyes unchanged as to warn her friend.

"Alright, everybody step back!" The ski mask guy yelled gruffly. 'He' pointed the pipe at the clerk. "Whatcha got in the register?"

The clerk began fumbling to open it. The robber continued to approach the counter, casting menacing glances at all other customers.

Evan stepped in front of the robber and blocked 'his' path.

"You got a problem, dude?" He asked, glaring up at the masked man.

"I'm gonna have a problem with you in a few seconds, mutie." The robber replied, making as to swing the pipe at Evan.

The mutant stepped back and extended spikes from his forearms. "Think twice dude." He shot the flaming-tipped spikes at the opposing man, sending him flying into a wall and pinning him there.

Clay didn't enjoy the pinching from Evan's spikes, but she chose not to move. The clerk looked bewildered at Evan and shook his head in amazement.

"Take what you want, honestly."

Evan cracked a little smile and before he walked out the door called back to the clerk: "You might wanna call the cops!" And left.

The clerk nodded and turned around to the phone behind the counter. After dialing, he turned back around to where the robber was. They were gone.

* * *

><p><em>Xavier Institute<em>

For, what the third time, Benj woke up in the infirmary bed. He groaned slightly at his stupidity. He'd probably be better off dead right now, because he anticipated the professor's words as they came out of his mouth.

"What were you thinking? You must be more careful!" The professor said.

"I know, I know… I just hate being so limited with Rogue." Benj sighed. "You get it right?"

Xavier regretfully nodded. "That being so… you can't continue with this if this is going to be a normal occurrence."

Benj sat up straighter. "Are you stating I shouldn't be with Rogue because of this? It was one stupid idea of mine—"

"Yes, and that one stupid idea will lead to another. Benj, listen, we want what's best for you even if—"

"Even if it doesn't seem like it. Right." Benj finished somewhat angry. He flopped back over on the bed and shut his eyes, waiting for the professor to go away.

Everything came with its own limitations. And of course, you had to deal with the effects of pushing things beyond.

* * *

><p><strong>Oh, Evan. I loved him so much in the series, I just had to have him in a glimmer here.<strong>

**And thanks guys for not noticing the line in the last chapter that read "Lance stuck his eyes in the ignition." Sorry Lance, that won't get your car to start. Oh the joys of quick editing!**


	18. Chapter 17: The Pain of Lockers

**Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men, Marvel does. The OC that appears: Xander Green is from HMMaster.**

* * *

><p>School. The most chaotic and dramatic part of any teenager's life. Now being a mutant, that made it ten times worse. Lines were being drawn in the sand by both humans and mutants, over the most ridiculous things, but as it was high school, everything was a big deal.<p>

Keith Lerry made an appearance again, this time confronting Leo and Cloak in the halls after school.

"Well what do we have here, boys?" He jeered to his jock pals. "Looks like two mutants getting ready for soccer try-outs."

Leo stood at his open locker and was grabbing his sports bag out. Enrique was next to him, his bag already slung over his shoulder. The two mutants looked at each other. Without a word Leo closed his locker and they began to walk down the hall to the locker rooms. Try-outs started in an hour.

"Don't say anything." Enrique muttered out of the side of his mouth to his friend. Leo took a deep breath and continued to walk.

"Aww, come on now! Don't be like that!" Keith yelled after them. He ran to catch up and 'accidently' stuck his foot out. The feline mutant tripped and his stuff spilled all over the filthy high school hallway floor.

He snarled and began collecting his things.

"Oh, so sorry about that Leo." Keith said sarcastically. "Let me-" he grabbed Leo by the back of his shirt, "-help you!" He slammed the spikey haired mutant into the lockers beside him.

"Hey!" Enrique yelled, stopping his picking up of Leo's things.

"Boys hold this snow-cap back." Keith growled. The other jocks ran up and wrapped their arms around Enrique's. "Now Leo…" the jock breathed into his ear, still squishing the other teen's face into the locker. "I hear you worked at the Zoo over the summer."

Leo snorted and replied with malice. "Yeah, maybe I did. What of it leather-jacket?"

"Nothing much, just see… there was a mutant there that… _attacked_ me. _He_ was never caught… and I thought… maybe you know somethin' about it." He emphasized his last few words by slamming the mutant's face against the locker.

The teen spit out a bit of blood that came from biting his cheek. "_Lo siento._ Don't know anything about that."

"To hell you don't!" Keith roared, whirling Leo around and throwing him to the other side of the hallway.

"Leo!" Enrique yelled, struggling against his capturers, but he wasn't an incredibly strong guy. "Damn it! Stop Keith!"

"No, _Enrique_, I don't think I will. Not until this mutie admits he was the one who attacked me." He grabbed Leo by the throat and shoved him against the wall. "I know you got a temper. If you won't admit it, and pay for my jacket of course, I'm gonna keep pressing your buttons until you _snap _and use your powers."

"What a shame too, Keith." One of the other jocks laughed. "The school has a no strict powers policy."

The jocks chuckled. Leo took a few more deep breaths, sucking down the rising anger in his heart. He was more annoyed than anything, he had soccer try-outs to get to and these jocks were getting in his way.

"So sorry to disappoint, but it's going to take a lot more than that." Leo sneered. Keith's dark face twisted in anger and he pounded Leo's head into the lockers repeatedly.

Stars swam in front of his vision, he supposed that his rapid healing factor was what was keeping him conscious. He groaned and slipped down the lockers a little, the numbness in his head making him lose control of his legs.

"Oh no, up up up! Can't have you blacking out mutie, you still got to answer my question." Lerry sneered. The jock slammed him into the lockers again and let him fall to the floor. After a few seconds he picked the teen back up and held him against the lockers. "Let's try this again: Did you, Leo Dyson, attack me at the Zoo?"

Leo's amber eyes rolled to the back of his head then snapped forward as he answered. "Possibly, maybe… m-maybe you should…" He gasped then continued, "… should ask when… my h-head's clear."

Keith swore and shouted at him.

While this was occurring Enrique saw a teen with black hair peer around the corner of an adjacent hallway; it was Xander. Enrique's eyes widened and he mouthed "No." Xander frowned then turned back around the corner, _hopefully for help_ Enrique thought.

* * *

><p>Xander jogged back down the hall he came from in a hurry. Using his powers was a stupid idea anyways, what would someone do when they came upon his empty body? The least he could do was find Principal Darth, or Clay, or someone!<p>

As he raced down the halls he passed two girls he recognized as Amara and Tabitha talking at a locker. What they were still doing after school was a mystery, as most students had left by then.

"Hey speedy, where ya headed?" Tabitha called after him.

Spinning on his heels he faced them and answered. "Trying to find Principal Darth. Some jocks are giving two mutants a hard time. Haven't seen him have you?" He bounced impatiently on his feet. If it hadn't been as serious a situation he probably would have hunched his shoulders in the presence of such pretty girls, but he was distracted.

Tabitha looked at Amara, she shook her head. "No, sorry kido. Who were the mutants?" She asked nonchalantly.

Xander knew she was a mutant too, course the whole school did. He pondered on the other mutant's name. "Enrique Oculto and… uh…"

"Leo Dyson?" Amara asked. The two girls knew how good of friends they were.

"Uh I suppose, red spikey hair, lion tail, right?"

"Yeah." Tabitha said. "Amara why don't you go with him and try to help him find Darth, I'll try to diffuse the situation."

"Tabitha," Amara said quickly as she started down the hall, "don't do anything too stupid! The professor wouldn't like it if you were expelled!"

Tabitha started strutting down the hall in the other direction. "I'll try."

* * *

><p>By this time Leo was on the ground again, his head still swimming. Keith had him by the tail with a foot on his back.<p>

"Wanna try again?"

"No." Leo moaned. He was used to getting beat by Logan, that just couldn't be helped, but when he couldn't fight back? That hurt more than his head.

"Fine, let's try a different tactic. Your friend will undoubtedly be less strong." Keith growled, leaving Leo on the floor and moving over to Enrique. "Hold him boys."

Enrique grimaced, seeing his impending doom.

"How's it going boys?"

The jocks stopped and turned their heads. Leo dragged himself into a sitting position and was shocked to see Tabitha standing not too far away.

"Need help kitten?" Tabitha asked Leo. His eyes didn't quite focus on her, and that had her worried.

Leo shook his head. "You shouldn't be here." He whispered, shutting his amber eyes.

"He's got a point missy." Keith growled, walking over to her. "Why don't you just run along?"

Tabitha examined her nails and shook her head. "Sorry love, I have to make sure no one else is gettin' roughed up here."

The jock grabbed her arm violently. "Leave. Now."

"Hey Keith? Ain't she a mutie too?" One of the other jocks asked.

Keith squinted his eyes at her and looked her up and down. "Yeah, I recognize you now. Tabitha Smith, one of those bloody X-Men. Maybe she can convince Leo to tell the truth." He drew her close to him and looked wolfishly at her, then he glanced at Leo. "I hope you don't mind if I have her, do you Dyson?"

Anger flashed from deep in his eyes and he sat up a little straighter. "Actually I… do!" He snapped.

"So do I." Tabitha said, slipping a small self-made firecracker in the front of his shirt, then shoving him away.

Keith glared at her, and then his shirt exploded. A tiny hole was ripped straight through and left a nasty burn on his chest. He flailed back in a comical manner, shrieking like a girl as it went off.

"Oops?" Tabitha shrugged.

The jock roared in anger and advanced on the girl. "THAT'S IT!"

"Yes, you're right Mr. Lerry." A melodious voice said. "That is it." Principal Darth strolled down the hall to where the teens were gathered. Amara and Xander trailed after him.

"All of you, my office. Now." Darth said with authority.

The other jocks released Enrique and he rubbed his forearms. "Uh, sir? We have soccer try-outs."

Darth looked at the white-haired teen. "When do try-outs start?"

"In about forty-five minutes."

The principal rubbed his chin. "Hmmm. I need you to at least come to my office and help me get an idea of what happened here, Enrique. After that you can go, but I don't think Mr. Dyson will be ready for that. I will let the coach know what happened, and make sure you can get another shot at it if need be."

"Thank you." Enrique said.

"All right, Miss Amara, Mister Xander, I believe you can leave, everyone else, let's go. We will call your parents in my office after we find out what happened."

* * *

><p><em>Principal Darth's Office<em>

Darth sat down at his ebony desk and gestured at six open chairs for the students. Tabitha and Enrique helped Leo sit down, as he was still trying to get his head together. The jocks sat together on the right, moving their chairs a little away from the mutants.

Through a series of questions Darth figured out what happened that afternoon.

"Mr. Lerry, I hope you have another school you wish to attend."

Keith Lerry gulped. Frowning he looked at Tabitha then back to the principal. "What about her? She _used her powers_."

Darth frowned, the purple scar over his eye scrunching up. "I believe she used her powers because she felt threatened by you. But we must remain fair, I will need to speak with your parents Miss Smith."

"I don't live with my parents. I live at the Xavier Institute."

"Ah, I see. I've been meaning to speak to him anyways. Leo you live there as well, correct?" Darth asked.

"Uh… yeah." Leo answered, shaking his head.

"I'll call him now. Mr. Lerry, you and your friends wait outside." When the jocks had left the office he turned to Enrique. "Mr. Oculto, your parents—"

"Are at work until nine." Enrique finished.

"Can either of them afford to leave work for a little bit?"

"No, they… uh… things are tight at home. They… uh…" The teen muttered.

Darth held up his hand and smoothed his silver tie. "I understand, I will leave them a message, go on to soccer try-outs." He grabbed a piece of paper off his desk and a pen and scribbled something on it. "Take this to the coach and let him know Leo is physically unable to try-out today."

Enrique took the note and left, giving Leo a smile as he left. Mr. Darth looked at the two remaining mutants in front of him and then picked up the phone.

* * *

><p>The phone at the Institute began ringing; causing numerous students and teachers to scramble towards the phone (the landline was shared by everyone).<p>

"Ah got it!"

"Got it!"

"Ack! Jamie where'd you put the phone?"

"Me? Colossus had it last!"

Several hands picked up the extensions throughout the mansion. Rogue's southern twang, Colossus's quiet but strong voice, Bobby's goofy tone, Logan's gruff bark, and the professor's calm voice all answered the phone at the same time, throwing out a variety of greetings.

Principal Darth winced under the barrage of voices. He coughed slightly and asked, "Excuse me, is Professor Xavier there? This is Principal Nicolas Darth."

"Professah, are ya on the othah line?" Rogue's voice asked over the phone.

"Yes Rogue, I am. I'll take over from here." Xavier's voice sounded. He waited for the clicks of the other phones being hung up to continue. "This is Professor Xavier, what can I help you with Mr. Darth?"

Darth looked at the two in his office then swiveled his dark chair to face away from them. "I would like to speak to you in person, professor. Mainly about Tabitha Smith's continuing attendance at this school…"

"What happened?" The professor's tone suddenly darkened.

"There was an incident after school today revolving around your other student Leo Dyson, Enrique Oculto, and a few of our football players. Miss Smith, as good as she was, broke up the fight, but not in a way that agrees with our school rules. I'm afraid we need to continue to discuss this matter in person with the other parents, please be here as soon as you can." The principal's voice said over the receiver.

Xavier rubbed his temple with one hand as he replied. "Yes, I understand… I'll be there right away." Both hung up.

"What was that all about Chuck?" Logan growled, walking into his office. "What did the principal want?"

"I believe that Tabitha got in some trouble using her powers today. Good thing is she probably did it to protect another mutant, bad thing is… well of course it is against the rules."

"Greeeaat." Logan rolled his eyes. "I assume you want the van gassed up and ready to go."

Xavier cracked a smile. "It's like you read my mind."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note: Now I get to ask: A) what'd ya think? B) I don't really have an ending entirely for this two-parter, if you want to see something make a suggestion. Be as fairunfair as you want to Tabitha, I'll see what works.**

**Ah yes, the intro I didn't go back and add on the previous chapter, it doesn't actually affect the chapter so I'll leave it til later. I plan this summer (so starting May 19th) to do a Haven Chronicles: Origins ****fanfiction (for all you guys who gave me an OC [or three]) and depending on how far in this one I get: Alternate Realities, a twist on a certain point in D-Factor where I get to suck Leo into the future. Kinda based on Teen Titans: How long is Forever?**

**Next chapter (for sure): Clay and Sionnach will play swords (like that'll end well), and Tabitha and Keith recieve their consquences.**


	19. Chapter 18: Behind the Clashes

**Disclaimer: The X-Men aren't mine, they're Marvel's. The OCs that are specifically mentioned in this chapter are: Zendi Idnez belonging to magicrazy101, Nico Wolfe and Sionnach Fae both belonging to San child of the wolves.**

**Author's note:** Yes! Another!

I came up with a fitting ending to the previous chapter. I wanted to be harsher to Tabitha... but Mrs. Lerry is very hard to work with. Hope you guys like it as well.

**Analyze. Appreciate. Respond.**

* * *

><p>"Mr. and Mrs. Lerry, Professor Xavier, Logan… consequences must come." Principal Darth said, getting up to allow more light to come into his dark office. He sat back down at his desk chair and faced the parents and students. Mr. and Mrs. Lerry sat beside their son, Professor Xavier sat closest to them, next was Tabitha, then Logan and Leo. "This school will continue to be fair in discipline. As I imagine, all of you wish to have your students remain here."<p>

"Why did you allow the other two students to leave with only suspension?" Mrs. Lerry asked. "I don't see why they should get off so easy when—"

"They did not get off easy, Mrs. Lerry." Darth corrected. "Though they assisted in an attack, they actually did no damage, the code of conduct says that their consequence is long-term suspension." He paused. "Now, your son here, has earned himself a one-way-ticket to getting expelled, if not expulsion."

"My son is the victim here, Mr. Darth!" Mrs. Lerry cried.

Logan scoffed. "Victim? Your _son_ bashed Leo's head into a locker, repeatedly!"

"Keith was attacked by both of those mutants!" His mother continued.

Darth frowned. "I'm sorry, I think I missed something. I realize Miss Smith used her powers on Keith, but I don't recall Leo ever—"

"This past summer Leo attacked my son at the Zoo, Mr. Darth." Keith's father clarified.

"As I remember it, your son was attacked by an unidentified mutant, Mr. Lerry." Darth said, his left eye having twitched. "Even if it was Leo, we have no power over what happens outside of the school year. We are here to discuss the continuing attendance of Tabitha and Keith at this school."

The Lerrys glanced at each other but kept silent, finally.

"Ah yes, we would prefer if Tabitha could continue attending here." Xavier said, looking at his young charge. Tabitha swung her legs back and forth under her chair, avoiding his look.

"Well if my son is expelled, we demand she is as well." Mrs. Lerry said forcefully. "That other mutant is perfectly fine now, but Keith is still injured."

"If it wasn't for his powers, he'd be in a hospital." Logan answered gruffly. "I'd say a minor burn ain't much compared to the damage done to Leo." He turned to see Leo still staring a bit blankly. "Really, look at 'im!"

Leo turned his head, shaking it. "Sorry… D-did I zone out?"

Darth folded his hands on his desk and sat forward. "I am willing to lessen both consequences if that will appease all of you."

"No." All eyes turned to Tabitha. She looked up and met Darth's eyes. "I'm willing to take the full consequence… 'cuz I think my buddy Keith over there deserves it too." She leaned forward to look at Keith, and waved her fingers at him.

Keith scowled and sat back in his chair.

Xavier placed a hand on Tabitha's arm. "Now, Tabitha, we can work with these people. Small sacrifices have to be made someti—"

"But I don't want to get off easy just so that _asshole_ can continue going to school here!" Tabitha protested.

The adults, other than Logan, didn't respond well to her 'foul language'.

"Tabitha!"

"Miss Smith!"

"Such rudeness!" Mrs. Lerry exclaimed. "That's it! Mr. Darth, you may allow _that girl_ to continue attending this school because we are pulling Keith and putting him in private school." She stood up in a rush, followed by her husband, and grudgingly by her son whom she pulled up out of his chair. "I will _not_ allow my son to attend school with those kind of p—" She paused, changing her mind on what word to use, "**creatures**. I don't know how you do it, Mr. Darth… mutants are such monstrosities to be around."

At this point Principal Darth calmly rose out of his seat. His eye twitched as he answered in a low, dark, and threatening tone. "Let me get the door then, _Mrs. Lerry,_ for I will not allow that kind of talk in my office." His voice rose a little as he progressed through his speech. "You have insulted me, the other guardians, and students in here for the last time. Please, if you would like any assistance for finding a _suitable_ institution for your son, don't hesitate to ask, because he **will not**_** ever**_ be returning here." He strode across his office and opened the door. Gesturing for them to leave, he stood silently as the Lerrys filtered past.

As soon as they left Darth closed the door softly behind them and sat back down in his black armchair. He smoothed his silver tie out and faced the X-Men once more.

"I would like to apologize for what just happened. It seems the other parents have no issue with Tabitha attending school here. I believe we are done here." Darth's tone sweetened almost too fast.

Leo blinked. His mind wasn't exactly sure what entirely happened, but he knew it had been immensely weird. "Uh… soooo?"

"We get to leave, runt." Logan shrugged, pulling the teen out of his chair. He, Leo, and Tabitha filed out the door.

Xavier remained in his spot.

"Can I help you Professor Xavier?" Darth asked, pulling his chair around so the desk was no longer between them.

"I believe I can help you, actually." The professor answered.

"Oh, really?" Darth asked with a curious grin. "Please… explain."

"I remember in your speech not too long ago you said you were working out a way for mutants without control to still attend Bayville High and receive a bit of training. Tell me, have you reached a solution?"

"I'm sorry to say, we haven't"

Xavier smiled slightly. "Then let me offer my services, I think having Bayville High partner with the Xavier Institute will benefit everyone."

Darth grinned. "A brilliant idea! Let's get arrangements underway now."

* * *

><p>"Swing harder Nico!" Clay urged.<p>

The younger boy, who looked like a silver dragon, and her were sword fighting in the common area of the squad's floor in the Haven. Of course, they were using wooden swords, there was no need for someone to have to get Ash to heal them just for stupidity.

"I'm trying!" The younger boy yelled, clutching the sword with both hands and swinging it around his head toward Clay's midsection.

Clay blocked easily, but was pleased with the vibrations that traveled up her sword. "Great! Again! And don't be afraid to use your tail!"

Pretty much most of the squad sat on the couches and chairs in the room and watched. For their safety, and the television's, the furniture was moved up against the far wall. Usually this kind of training would happen in the arena, but it was being used by another team.

The spectators watched with a mix of anticipation and indifference. Everyone knew how these sword fights ended, either Clay won or she 'lost'. Every match was a way for Clay to better calculate her teams' limits and strengths. Those who knew how terrible they were at sword fighting tried to pay more attention, as to reduce their pain. Ash paid especially close attention, since it was her brother, losing the blank expression her eyes normally held.

Both competitors wore padding on their chests and forearms. Nico also wore his ripped jeans, spikes jutting out everywhere. Clay, on the other hand, only wore a black tank-top and athletic shorts.

Clay chopped her sword down, striking Nico's shoulder. The dragon yelled out and whipped his tail around. Without much thought he impaled his leader's shoulder with the point.

She yelled out in sudden pain, and fell to one knee. Nico's jaw nearly fell to the ground.

"Oh, oh! Sorry Clay!" He apologized hastily, pulling his spiked tail from her shoulder. There was a 'squelching' sound, and some of the team members winced, expecting blood. There was none.

Their leader stood shakily, and grabbed her shoulder. A clean hole was pierced straight through. "Nice job, Nico." She groaned, with a tone of happiness and pride. She winced when she pulled her hand off and saw the damage done.

Muttering under her breath she grasped her shoulder again. When she pulled her hand away the hole had disappeared.

Sionnach's eyes widened, and he whispered to Rena (in her human form) next to him. "I didn't know she could do that."

"Nor did I." Rena responded. _Although it would explain a few things._

Clay straightened herself up and looked to her squad. "Alright, who's next?" Seeing no one volunteer she smirked. "Fine then, I guess our new guy wants to go then."

"Not necessarily." Sionnach replied, sitting back. In his few days at the Haven they had discovered that he could be restricted from using his powers of possession if something covered his eyes. Soon he was given a pair of mirrored sunglasses that were silver on the edges and reflected back a gold color on the lenses. His true style had also come out, it was hard to find him not wearing a white baseball cap, a maroon T-shirt with a black and white jacket over it with a large cartoonish-looking fox face on the back of it, and simple light blue jeans that are ripped at the knees. He still wore a pair of black and white tennis shoes, but had also started covering his hands with black fingerless gloves. He flinched as Clay tossed him one of the swords, but managed to catch it regardless.

"Too bad." She smiled as he got to his feet. "Now, do you have any sort of experience with swordplay?"

"No."

"Alrighty then! Let's see what natural skill you possess. Here are the rules: we play to disarm or strike a mortal wound. Since these swords are," she tapped hers against the ground, getting a wooden echo, "wood, you won't actually die from the strike." She tossed him the padding Nico had worn. After he had it on she tapped his chest with her sword. "Chest, stomach, and head or neck areas are fatal wounds, resulting in an end of play. We won't assume limbs are chopped off so ignore it if I hit an arm or leg." She adjusted some of his straps on the padding and continued. "You can use your powers if you want, but I won't use mine." Stepping back again she held her sword out in a defending position. "Any questions?"

Sionnach looked down at his sword and adjusted his grip. Both swords were long and straight, and he could see no trick behind either. "No questions."

"Great! New guy gets the starting blow." She teased, standing at the ready.

Sionnach swung his sword down across her body, with ease she deflected it and moved in. Her style was graceful, yet terrifying, the product of years of practice. He soon found himself fighting a lot harder than he anticipated, and she didn't even break a sweat.

He was more used to watching, and using, Pencak Silat, a fighting style that was more about grace than the rough sword fighting Clay used. Sionnach wasn't quite able to believe the strength Clay displayed behind her sword, since little in her appearance would suggest that.

Clay whirled her sword over and around her head and brought it down hard. Scrambling like mad Sionnach just barely managed to deflect it, stumbling back as a result.

"You fight too flowery!" She shouted as their swords met again. "Don't try to impress me with your style, try to disarm me at least."

The shape-shifter grinned and flicked her sword, knocking off the fox mutant's hat. He didn't take it well.

He growled and pressed forward harder. "That's… my… hat!" Not that he really cared that much, but the fight was getting him in a worse and worse mood.

The two continued to dance around with their swords. As they fought more he noticed a flaw in her defense. She was a tad slower in defending her midsection, especially on her right. He grinned to himself and started attacking only on that side.

A slight look of disbelief and fear flashed in Clay's neon green eyes. So Sionnach could pick up on flaws, she figured this could come in handy. Before long she found herself a bit tired, the ache from an old wound slowing her down. Wanting to end it fast she stopped going easy on Sionnach.

She attack with such fury that he was unable to stop a blow to his arm. His sword went flying across the room, and before he realized it, he was on the ground and Clay's sword was at his throat.

"Wanna call it?" She asked, slightly out of breath. The heat from his gaze was sensible even from behind his glasses. She reached her hand down.

With a slight growl Sionnach swatted it away and dragged himself up. "You're slow on your right side. Isn't that a fatal flaw for one of your skill?" He asked snidely.

Clay narrowed her eyes at him.

"You can't hide it, it's written all over your face… and you without a mask." Sionnach continued.

"You're damn lucky I was going easy on you, Fox-Face."

"Language!" Ash whispered. Her little brother was still there. Normally Clay would heed what she said, but this time she ignored her. Sionnach was her main conscern.

The two glared at each other. "You wanna know why I'm slow on my right?" She snarled, tearing off her padding, and lifting up her shirt to show her side. The whole team took a sharp intake of breath.

A chunk of her side was missing, looking as if it was burned out, surrounded by ashy gray skin.

"Clay… I thought that healed by now." Zendi gasped. She knew Clay had a rapid healing factor, incredibly so if it was a pierce wound, so this was… surprising. Apparently her fight with Jaller took more out of her than she let on.

Clay met her friend's eyes. "Alas… no." She turned on Sionnach. "Happy now? Big guy got the explanation he asked for!" Suddenly she whirled around and stormed down the hall and entered her room, slamming her door.

An awkward silence extended until Zendi spoke up. "I'll go talk to her. Training dismissed."

* * *

><p>Kurt ported around the mansion trying to figure out what exactly happened after school.<p>

"The one day I leave on time…" He mumbled, landing on the top of the couch behind Bobby's head.

"Gah! Watch it Kurt!" Bobby yelled over the machine gun rattle in his game. "You almost messed up my killing streak."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "And what a shame that would have been."

Time to check somewhere else. Benj's room?

He ported into the room Benj and Leo shared, only to find it empty. Benj must have gone skating with Vince. Kurt sighed. He was running out of people he could ask. Amara was here somewhere… she saw most of what happened right? Where could she be?

_I'm not trying to be a busy-body. I just want to know!_ Kurt thought to himself as he ported again, disappearing in his usual puff of smoke.

He hadn't really been thinking of where to go and suddenly found himself in Ty- er… Spades' room.

A small "oops" escaped his lips. Spades wasn't one for visitors anymore; which made it all the more surprising to see the red demon looking at him expectantly. Almost like he was lonely.

"Thank God, finally!" Spades gasped. "First I hear Leo's got himself in some fight… then the professor insists I don't need to come to the meeting with the principal for!"

Kurt raised an eyebrow, perplexed. "Are you feeling okay?" Spades was a little too… energetic.

"Answer me something Kurt, why didn't you tell me I was being a moron?"

"What?" Now he was absolutely bewildered.

"No one can hide from the world forever…" Spades explained. "And yet I thought I could."

Kurt let his words sink in. "So… you're not going to stay locked in your room all the time?"

Spades nodded. "And… I take back what I said about my human name. My mother gave me that… and she loved me more than anything."

"_Ty_, you haven't been that moronic. I mean I felt that way for a while. We have some things in common…" He grinned, "the best part: our tails!"

Ty chuckled. "Yeah… um… have you heard anything about Leo?"

Kurt shook his head. "No, and I have no idea about Tabitha either."

A phone buzzed on Ty's desk. When he picked it up he met Kurt's eyes. "Leo" he mouthed, answering it.

"Hello? Leo! Are you okay? … No, no I'm glad you stuck up for him… Professor X said I should stay here… And Tabitha?" Ty chuckled. "Acquitted? Really, you couldn't just say she wasn't suspended? … Of course not… Okay, see you soon. _Adios._"

Kurt smiled. "So it all worked out."

* * *

><p>"Rah!"<p>

Clay slammed her fist into the hard stone wall. Anger vibrated through her form. Snarling again she grabbed her sword off its rack and slashed it at the wall as well. Deep cuts formed with every stroke. She would never have to worry about it breaking though, seeing as it was made of Adamantium. As she struck out her eyes glowed harder and brighter. Sionnach wasn't the only one with anger issues.

A tentative knock sounded on her door. Clay knew who it was. Zendi was probably the only person, well besides Cloak, who'd known her forever. She wasn't willing to give up on her, no matter what Hell she got herself into.

"Door's open." _Not like I ever lock it._ Clay muttered, putting her sword at her side.

Zendi walked in the door and shut it behind her. Tucking her dark brown hair back so her pointed ears showed she walked over to Clay.

"Alright, what is it?" Zendi asked. "You've been on edge, hard, and cranky for weeks. Normally you're only slightly paranoid and angry." She looked at the cuts in the wall and sighed. "You need to back off of that Sionnach."

"He needs to move on; I'm just trying to help him." Clay responded in a monotone without turning around.

"The kid just lost his brother! Not to mention any sort of contact with the rest of his family!" Zendi shouted. "He needs time. Remember how it was when you—"

"I moved on Zen."

Zendi scoffed. "No, you didn't. To this day you carry those police officers' deaths around with you. You think I haven't noticed what you do on the anniversary of that day?"

Clay sniffed.

"You go to that cemetery, you leave a few flowers, you haven't forgotten, haven't moved on…"

"H-how did… You knew that?" Clay asked, turning around.

Zendi nodded. "We all do. No one's sayin' you shouldn't… but you can't expect Sionnach to move on if you have not."

Clay opened her mouth to say more, but then thought better of it. Laying down her sword, she sat down on the mat on her floor cross-legged. Zendi joined her.

"So what about that wound from when you fought Jaller? I thought that-" Zendi began.

Clay held up her hand. "Yes, I heal fast, but he didn't just stab me Zen. Jaller broke the rules… used a Taser. I… I've always known to be careful around electricity…"

She thought back to that day… that fight. It seemed normal enough. Guys had challenged her for position as head of the Haven before, but Jaller was the only one who won.

Rules are that the challenger must fight by the style the challenged lays out; sometimes it's single combat, other times it's team combat. The other rules include what weapons are allowed: only "archaic" weapons (swords, daggers, pikes, spears, staffs, etc.,), and that the fight was to be non-lethal. Any sort of fatal weakness couldn't be exploited, because like it or not, the Haven didn't want to lose anyone to one of their own.

Jaller broke two rules: one, he broke a Taser; two, he knew that Clay could be felled with electricity.

During the fight Jaller got in close, he fought with a longer heavy sword but also was good at hand-to-hand combat, and jabbed the Taser into Clay's side. The electricity tore away at her flesh, annihilating it, causing it to crumble as it turned to ash. He knew to pull away fast and to replace the Taser with a dagger, which he also stabbed her with for good measure.

He'd smiled as she blacked out.

"Clay, most of us knew about that weakness… why didn't you declare it afterwards when it was so obvious that Jaller had cheated?" Zendi asked, confused. She just assumed Clay had finally lost at something; then again, everyone knew what they said about when you assume.

The gray skinned girl leaned back and rested her head on the wall. "Because at that point I was too weak to do anything. I woulda been a bad leader then. At that point I figured if Jaller was so willing to win, he deserved to get a shot at leader."

"And how's that working out?" The elf laughed.

"Ah… shut up."

The two sat there for a little while before Zendi spoke up again.

"But what about now? You still didn't answer why you're so on edge."

The older mutant closed her eyes and didn't answer.

"Did you… have another vision or something?" Zendi asked. She knew it was a bit of a private subject, only she and Cloak knew Clay had seer-like abilities.

When Clay didn't answer again, it confirmed Zendi's suspicions. "You did! And by the way you aren't saying anything I'm guessing it had to do with your family. Your sister—"

Clay swore. She hated her family. "Thank God it didn't, if I had to run into that load of self-absorbed cretins… I would die."

"But Darth—"

"He's the only exception, well, and my grandmother… but that's it. My father, Darth not that… other, has kept me from them and I'm grateful."

"So if it didn't have to do with your family…" Zendi prodded again, leaning closer to Clay to try to pressure her into talking.

Clay's eyes got sad and far-off. "Listen… all I can say is there's a crossroads coming up. Both lead to pain and suffering of mutants, but one brings a world beyond repair. The Haven only survives in one of them, and the one it doesn't…" She screwed her eyes up to the ceiling. "I saw the survivors…"

"Don't tell me, Clay. Just don't." Zendi silenced. "Let's forget about this. You're in a slump."

"I don't think that's a word."

"Well it is now! Come on… I heard GEOtech got a new security system and I'm _dying_ to break it in for them!"

Clay chuckled, pushing her dark thoughts aside. "You give those men such a hard time."

"Oh! But it's so enjoyable! They tempt me… they _want_ me to break into their facility. Why else would they say they have a 'state of the art' security system? Come on!" Zendi whined, standing up and jumping up and down.

"You're insane… you know that?"

Zendi laughed. "What? And you aren't? We all have a few screws loose here!"

Clay couldn't help but laugh, her foul mood evaporated. Standing up she grabbed her uniform and slipped it on. She tugged her mask over her face and rubbed her bronze wrist guards.

"Alright, lead the way!"

* * *

><p><strong>Lots of foreshadowing in this chapter, a little lead-in for the Alternate Realities fic coming soon. You get to learn more about Clay later though. You didn't think Havens Origins would only explain those spectactular OCs I got from you guys did you? Of course I was going to give some insight to my own as well! I'll have to try and get back in tune with Ty's original character now. I liked him so much better before.<strong>

**Until next time (which could be a little while, we're in the home stretch for school).**


	20. Chapter 19: The Skater

**Disclaimer: The X-Men and Brotherhood characters aren't mine. The only characters that are would be Benj, Leo, Ty, Clay, Cloak, Portal, and Seth. All other OCs belong to their respective owners, which by the way: ARE AWESOME!**

**Author's note: **Here's an update.

Sorry for the wait, but this chapter needed some "extra attention". I hope you guys enjoy it. I'm taking the Haven storyline a lot farther with this one. And yes this means that the reason I named this story D-Factor will come soon (though I'm sure some of you have guessed by now).

So on Haven Origins, I plan on having the first be Zendi/Knife, then Rena/Fenris. The reasons why are that when I played it out they were the two who've probably been at the Haven the longest, besides Clay and Cloak of course. It'll probably be an every other week update for the two stories, and Chapter 20 shall be up soon as well.

**Read. Enjoy. Review. (And stay tuned for Haven Origins)**

* * *

><p>A motorcycle weaved through mid-day traffic. As it swerved in front of a semi the driver honked his honk and hit the brakes. The motorcycle rider looked back for second then added the turbo, flying through cars on the interstate. He ducked down lower to increase aero-dynamics, and seemed to meld into the bike, his back matching the arch of the bike. The green stripes on the bike seemingly blurred as the bike's speed reached well above eighty miles an hour.<p>

The rider swerved onto the off ramp and slowed down to blend into downtown traffic. He slowed and parked the bike alongside the curb next to a grocery store.

The rider wore a heavy leather jacket, rough jeans, leather gloves, and a black helmet with reflective visor. Getting off his bike he glanced down at a piece of paper with an address on it and matched it to the store's.

"_Bueno."_ He muttered, walking inside.

On the wall to the left was some construction tape, and two workers who were repairing the wall. The rider approached the check-out counter where a bald man was standing.

"Excuse me," The rider said. "But did these two girls come in a couple days ago?" He held up a photo to show to the man.

The clerk lazily looked up. "Sorry, didn't hear you, you'll have to remove that helmet."

The rider growled slightly irritated. "No time for that. Did, They. Come. In?" His voice was slightly muffled.

"Sir, if you can't remove the helmet, I can't help you." The clerk replied.

Another customer came up behind the rider. He tapped his foot impatiently and then shouted out. "Hey, if you don't mind, _I _would like to check out!"

The rider tore off his helmet in a frustrated manner. Underneath the helmet his skin was bright red, with horns on the top of his head. Tyler "Spades" Dyson. Ty locked his icy blue eyes with the clerk's.

"Better?" He asked.

The customer jumped back and set down his items. "Mutant!" Other customers turned and stared, a few shouted things out.

The clerk leaned forward and whispered to Ty. "_Sir_, you're making the other customers uncomfortable, I have to ask you to leave."

Ty got in his face and gnashed his teeth. "I can make you uncomfortable too. Now answer the question."

"Alright, alright." The clerk looked around nervously. "Wh-what was the question again?"

"Did you see these two girls come in?"

The clerk looked at the photo and squinted. "…Yes, a few days ago… why?"

The mutant glanced back at the growing crowd. He needed to finish this fast. "What happened when they came in?"

"I don't—" The clerk started then he looked at the expression on Ty's face. "They bought a game… then… a mutant came in and tried to buy some food. A robber came in almost immediately after, the mutant stopped him."

"Did the girls leave before the robber came in?"

"One for sure did… I don't know about the other." The clerk saw the crowd becoming more hostile. "Look, you gotta leave. Now!" He added the last part with emphasis.

The red mutant held up his hands in defeat, still holding the photo. "Alright, I'm leaving." He said. "_This never happened._" He added quietly.

He walked outside the store past the group of humans who were yelling things at him. Removing his glove he looked at the photo again; then he allowed flames to crawl up the paper and burn.

The faces of Claire Darth and Zendi Idnez crumpled and singed as Ty let the burning paper to fall to the ground.

* * *

><p>On Saturday morning most of the students were relaxing outside. Most of the older students were at the mansion's pool as well as Xavier and Logan. The gruff man raised an eyebrow. "Alright, what's up Chuck?"<p>

Charles folded his hands under his chin. "I don't know how the students will react to the news that we're partnering with the school."

Logan shrugged. "I think they'll do fine. As I said before, the one thing they're good at is keepin' their cool and keepin' their secrets. So how's it gonna work?"

"For right now it's a sort of club after school where mutants can just come for support and minor control lessons." Xavier answered. "Eventually I hope we can offer lessons here, or persuade some of the mutants to join us here."

"Sounds like a good plan. The kids will be fine with it."

"I hope so." Xavier sighed.

Suddenly there was an explosion off to the side of the mansion.

"Now what?" Logan growled, running over.

As he arrived he saw Beast stumbling out of some smoke singed. Beast coughed up some smoke and looked at Logan.

"Forge is –hem- trying to make some machine." He choked out.

Logan growled. "So…?"

Beast brushed off some ash. "Well how do you think it went?" Some of the other students began filtering out of the smoke cloud.

"Dude, never again." Ray muttered as he and Bobby found their ways out.

Xavier came up beside Logan and gazed at the mess. "Is anyone hurt?"

Storm glided down to above their heads and conjured up a strong wind to blow the smoke away. As the black smoke blew away it revealed Forge and some blackened machinery.

"Note to self: Adjust the compacting mechanism and air filtration systems." Forge muttered as he removed a pair of goggles and wiped soot from his face.

The professor rolled himself up to the middle of the blast zone. "Forge, I thought we talked about this…"

"No worries professor, I did the experiment outside." The other students gathered back around.

Logan groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Kid…"

Xavier sighed. "That's not what I meant! You need to be more careful of where you do these experiments, besides, what was this machine?"

Forge become very excited and gestured to his destroyed machine. "I was working on a 'power amplifier'. It could take the next step in power manipulation, allowing mutants to do ten times more with their powers!"

"Didn't you already invent one of those, bub?" Logan asked, sniffing harshly at the fried electronics.

"Well… no the one I made was specifically for Kurt. But this one will be much more versatile, capable of working with nearly any mutant's powers! Eventually it'll be a backpack design that can be carried around with ease!" Forge exclaimed.

Rogue walked up and cast a doubtful glance at the machine. "Why wouldn't ya try makin' the opposite first, like a powah dampenah?"

Forge looked at the girl like she was insane. "Why would I want to do that?"

"Riiiight." Rogue rolled her eyes. "When would we evah want ta possibly take down a mutant with outa control powahs, _that's_ nevah happened before!" She replied with sarcasm.

"Rogue, relax." Xavier softly said. "It's a good idea though."

"Maybe I'll try that if I can finish this…" Forge said, drifting off as his mind went to the mechanics he had to repair.

Logan turned on the students. "What are all of ya doin' standin' there? There's a Danger Room session in thirty, gear up!" He commanded.

Complaining under their breath the students turned toward the mansion.

* * *

><p>"Crap, Logan's gonna kill me." Benj said as he skated down the sidewalk.<p>

He and Vince raced down the streets toward the mansion.

Vince's scratchy voice sounded from behind the blonde skater. "Dude, how'da forget 'bout this one?"

"I don't even know!" He yelled as he jumped over a railing. "If I'm late for this DR session I'll never live to see another day."

"Why don't you just fly?" Vince asked when he got closer.

"'Cause it takes extreme amounts of concentration and currently? I'M FREAKIN' OUT!"

Benj's wheel caught on a dip in the sidewalk and his board flipped, sending him skidding into the ground. Luckily he was wearing his helmet and padding, otherwise it would have been a lot messier.

"Dude!" Vince yelled, jumping off his board and rushing to his side. "You okay?"

Vince helped his friend up and Benj brushed himself off. "Yeah, nothing too bad, I'm still gonna die… so it doesn't matter."

"So… dramatic." Vince said laughing.

Benj readjusted his chin-strap and placed his board back down. He was about to jump on when something caught his eye. He grabbed Vince's arm and pulled him aside so they were flat against the buildings.

"Dude, what—?"

The blonde skater motioned to be quiet. He looked back down the sidewalk and saw what he saw before: Ty, image inducer off, in the middle of the city, about to get on the Dyson's motorcycle.

The other skater merely looked at his friend and saw that something was up. Benj turned his face back to Vince and whispered. "It's Ty."

"Your older brother slash guardian?"

"Yeah, but you know how I said he doesn't go outside much?" Benj asked as he glanced back down the street again.

The black-haired skater nodded.

"That's why." The other said, pointing to Ty.

Vince followed where he was pointing and at that point saw Tyler. His green eyes widened a little then he watched intently.

'_I don't know what he's doin', but it doesn't make sense.' _Benj said telepathically to Vince. _'Ty would never go out without his image inducer… I don't get it… Somethin's not right.'_

'_What should we do?' _Vince asked, turning back to Benj.

'_There's no time to go back to the Institute or really call ahead. I say we follow him.' _The blonde skater replied.

"Besides, I'm gonna be late anyways, at least this way I have an excuse."

* * *

><p>Ty pulled up his motorcycle in front of the Brotherhood Boarding House. He walked up to the door.<p>

The construction had come a long way since it started on the old decaying house. Scaffolding still covered a corner of the boarding house but the rest was quite impressive. The wooden siding had been torn down and replaced and all the shingles had been repaired. As Lance said, the mold was gone, and better yet, most of the walls had been torn away and rebuilt with iron supports on the inside, making the building able to deal with a lot of damage. The inside still looked basically the same, except the actual building was twice as wide. The hall where the boys' (and Wanda's) bedrooms were spanned the distance of the house, now with a total of fifteen rooms.

"No, no, no!" Benj cried. "Not the Brotherhood. Darn it, Ty! What the hell have you done!"

Vince looked confused at Benj from their vantage point behind some bushes. "Shh! He'll hear you."

They watched in silence as Ty knocked on the door. From where they were they couldn't see who opened the door, but Ty walked in calmly.

Benj jumped up onto the concrete block that served as the Brotherhood's front porch and stuck his foot in the door.

_I'm so gonna die._

He caught the door so it didn't bounce and peered inside. No one was inside the entryway, kitchen, or living room from what he could tell; so he did the smartest thing he could: He went inside.

Vince swore. He wasn't going to be as foolish though and threw his board down on the sidewalk. If Benj wouldn't get the X-Men, he would.

* * *

><p>Benj crept though the Brotherhood house. He was surprised at its appearance. He'd heard about when Rogue had lived there and was expecting demons to be crawling out of the walls. It just looked like a simplified version of the Xavier Mansion.<p>

He heard footsteps and voices coming from the closet under the staircase so he tip-toed forward and opened it a crack. A whole new flight of stairs went down from there. He bent the air around him so he could glide just over the tops of the landings and stopped at the base, hiding behind the arch of the doorway.

Light spilled in from a room just ahead with computer monitors. The floor, ceiling, and walls were all metal, Ty's footsteps clanged around the room as he walked.

Ty stopped in the center of the room and waited for the man at the computers to turn.

Magneto faced Tyler with a content expression under his helmet.

"I assume your back with news?" He asked.

Ty nodded. "The girls are indeed Claire Darth and Zendi Idnez."

"Good." Magneto almost smiled.

Magneto turned to his right. "Mastermind, I am done here."

A man walked out of the shadows. The man looked oddly primate, with slightly graying messy hair and a brown coat on. He, Mastermind, moved forward to Tyler Dyson and gestured to the metal chair behind the young man.

"Take a seat, Ty." Mastermind said, his eyes glowing. Ty complied and sat without looking around, his eyes were blank.

"What does the kid think he's doin'?" Sabertooth growled.

"Mastermind has made him believe he is helping Xavier locate two kids gone missing from Bayville High. If he wasn't so far into Xavier's lies he would be a nice addition to our cause."

Suddenly Ty looked around startled, only to have Mastermind place his hands on the mutant's forehead. His expression dimmed and as the telepath removed his hands he stood up and moved toward the stairs.

Benj squeezed closer to the wall to avoid Tyler, but the red mutant wasn't paying attention to what was going on around him, he was only focused on exiting.

_Better do the same._ Benj thought. He moved to glide up the stairs when—

"Let's put our plan into action then." Magneto said. Benj was too curious to do what he knew was good for him and slunk back into position.

"So which of those shelias do ya want be ta go get?" Benj didn't recognize the voice, but it was Pyro. The pyromaniac let a little flame out of his flame pack and made it into a tiny horse. The horse galloped around in circles, and then dissipated with a little wave of Pyro's hand. "Please tell me I can get Darth's kid." He and Sabertooth stood at the far side of the room.

Magneto hid his annoyance and nodded. "Yes, Pyro, I want you to get Claire Darth." He typed a few things into the computer and her photo appeared. "Only her, if anyone else gets in your way… well be creative."

"How's this going to get us to the Haven?" Sabertooth growled from behind Pyro. He frowned suddenly, sniffing the air. He snarled. With cat-like agility he ran around the corner and pounced on Benj. Grabbing him around the throat he lifted the teen into the air.

"What the hell do you think _you're_ doing here runt?"

Benj tugged at his captor's hands and tried to choke out an answer.

Magneto called out to his follower. "Bring him in here!"

Sabertooth snarled and hauled his prize in. "It's one of Xavier's brats."

Magneto smiled. "Benjamin Dents." He caused wires to fall from the ceiling and wrap themselves around Benj. Sabertooth released the teen into his master's grasp.

The skater struggled against the wires as they became taunt and held him tight, suspended above the ground. "Let me go!"

Magneto pulled the wires a little tighter, causing Benj's limbs to be spread farther. He gasped in pain and gritted his teeth. "You and your brother are funny when it comes to pain, aren't you?" As the teen continued to struggle, Magneto sighed and another wire fell from the ceiling and strung itself around Benj's neck. Instantly he stopped struggling.

"What's the Haven?" Benj asked breathless, the wire across his neck freaking him out. If he was going to hang there, he might as well get some answers.

The master of magnetism smiled at Benj's restlessness. "Honestly I am surprised Xavier hasn't figured it out yet." He examined Benj. "You have something I think the rest of the Brotherhood could use, guts."

"Yeah, I realize this." Benj grunted. "The others don't seem to be able to stand up to a fight."

Pyro stifled a laugh in the back. If this kid could show attitude when he was at a severe disadvantage, he couldn't be that bad.

Magneto's eyes flashed at Pyro, then he continued speaking. "Are you not bothered by the way we are treated as mutants by humans?" He paused, walking around the hanging Benj. "Do you not care about how the world sees us?"

Benj gritted his teeth. "One of my best friends is human. They aren't all bad."

"So, one in a million treats you nice? What about the rest? You _were_ friends with Socks and Matt as well." Magneto continued.

Benj tried to pull his arm back and whirl his head around, but instead his wrist was slit and he caused his neck to bruise. "They were **never** my friends!"

"The Brotherhood could use someone like you. Smart, powerful, not afraid of what they have to do… you have a future here you don't have with the X-Men. There they haven't even allowed you on the normal team. **Here** you would be a leader."

_How did Magneto know these things? _It was promising though. Benj didn't want to be a follower like he was with the X-Men, he knew he could lead; no one was ever willing to give him a chance though. Sure he took chances he shouldn't, and was a bit reckless at times, but he knew what he was doing. Well, most of the time.

_Stop it, stop it!_ He yelled at himself. "I'm a part of the X-Men, I don't change sides once I've made up my mind!" Benj yelled.

Magneto walked back around to face him. "We will see how long that lasts."

He turned to his right where Mastermind stood. "You know what to do."

"As you say…" Mastermind said, stepping forward. He extended his hands and approached.

* * *

><p><em>The Haven<em>

Zendi was incredibly bored. Oddly enough no one had plans on that Saturday morning except Seth. Mr. Severus reported straight to work at the zoo nearly first thing in the morning. Not everyone was awake, but most were.

In order to entertain herself Zendi decided to scale the walls of the common room and to wait patiently on the ceiling by one of the two hallways. If someone started walking down one she would drop down and scare them. Of course, Portal hadn't enjoyed her secondary wake-up call.

"Why the hell did you do that!" She yelled.

Zen grinned. "Xander gave me caffeine."

"Oh God." Portal groaned, rolling her eyes. She peeled herself off of the wall (she'd jumped about five feet back when Zendi dropped down on her), and continued on into the common room. She scoped out where Xander was and approached. "You! What have you done?"

Xander threw his head back over the back of the couch and smiled. He obviously had drunk some coffee, his eyes a brighter blue, dancing with the light of a caffeine high.

"I'm sorry, what?"

Portal growled and tossed her two-toned hair back. "Ugh, you're so… uh!"

Enrique waved her over to where he sat on the armchair. "Relax Portal. Today is Saturday. Let them have fun." He turned his head to the side and watched Fenris in her wolf morph play with Nico and a large red rubber ball. He grinned flashing his perfect teeth.

Zendi jumped back up onto the ceiling and crawled across so she was just above the boys' hall. She saw Sionnach walking down the hallway and simply couldn't resist when he came directly beneath her.

"Boo!" She yelled, dropping from the ceiling.

Sionnach jumped back startled, then rushed forward and slammed her into the wall. Knife cringed as her head hit the wall, as reflex she bent her legs up and kicked them into his chest. He stumbled back and growled.

"WHAT THE HELL!"

"I'd be asking you the same thing!" Zendi yelled back. She started grumbling something in what was probably Italian and walked back into the common room, sitting down on the couch.

Sionnach huffed angrily and considered going back to his room; then he saw Enrique and changed his mind.

"Calm down, both of you." Enrique said. "Sionnach: Zen has had too much caffeine. Zen: Sionnach is naturally angry. Everyone is happy."

Things started to settle down a bit in the room as the teens became drawn into early morning TV. Then Zendi realized something.

"Wait… where's Clay? She's usually the first one up."

The team paused in their actions and looked at each other.

"Is it possible the one who doesn't stop going slept in late?" Portal laughed. She frowned. "No… that's not possible."

Zendi leapt up. "I'll check her room." Portal followed her as they made their way to the leader's room.

They knocked, but no one answered. Portal shrugged. With a wave of her arm she brought up a portal and stepped through with Zen. They landed on the other side of the door and immediately spotted Clay.

She sat on the mat that served as her bed and stared straight ahead at the wall.

Knife flinched. She'd seen her once like that before. It appeared as though her seer abilities had kicked in.

Portal made as to move forward, but Zendi held her hand out to stop her.

"Let her come out of it on her own."

Suddenly Clay's head snapped around to look at the two in her room. There was almost a frantic light in her eyes, but that quickly faded away to anger.

"Suit up, now!" She shouted. "Tell the others."

Zendi and Portal nodded, they knew better than to question when things got like this.

The pair came back out into the common room and Zendi began yelling orders.

"Suit up, be ready to go! Portal!"

"Don't worry, I got it!" She yelled, jogging back to get the location to where Clay wanted to go.

Their leader burst from her room all suited up, sword slung over her shoulder. She handed a piece of paper to Portal, who looked back up quizzically.

"Yes, there."

Portal nodded and walked into her room to put on her own uniform.

"Alright, Portal's gettin' suited up, you guys too!" She turned to Rena and Nico. "Sorry squirt, you'll have to hang back on this one." Nico sighed, but nodded. "Where's your sister?"

"Sleepin', I think…" Nico answered.

"Alrighty, let her be, if she wonders where we went, let her know." She turned her attention to Sionnach. "You too, get suited up."

"I don't got—"

"Yes you do. Cloak, show Kitsune." Clay said, issuing more orders. "Cloak, you're gonna stay close to Kitsune on this one, we're still tryin' to arrange his death in Phoenix, and can't afford him being seen by anyone who might alert law enforcement."

"Wait a sec… my death?" Sionnach cried.

Clay rounded on him. "Uh, yeah, death. You want to finish your senior year right? Well, we need people to stop searching for you. By the way, would you prefer to be found dead in the wilderness or drowned in the river?"

The fox mutant froze. "Wilderness, definitely wilderness."

The green-eyed girl stopped for a second at his blunt answer. His tone freaked her out a little, but she got over it and continued barking orders.

Enrique grabbed Sionnach's arm and dragged him down the hallway. He ducked into his room quickly then darted back out. Sionnach tried to lean in to see the inside of the other mutant's room, but he was in and out so fast he didn't even see a glimpse.

"Your uniform." Cloak said, handing a black bundle to the other boy.

Sionnach unfolded it. As it rolled out he raised an eyebrow, hiding his joy at the pure awesomeness of it. It was pure black and appeared as though it would be a mold-like fit. It looked a bit like a martial arts uniform. He turned it around to see the back. There was a hole in the back for his tail(s). Most noticeable was the cartoonish fox face that was identical to the one on the back of his jacket, only surrounded by blue flames.

"Wow, this is…"

"Awesome? _Yo sé._ One of the mutants here goes by the name Graphic. He can make anything drawn, painted, or imagined into reality. I showed him your jacket, and he came up with the flame idea." Cloak said. "You know, it does not hurt to have a few good artists around here." He winked at Sionnach with the last part.

The other teen's cheeks flared, and he pulled his hat down over his face and turned to his room.

A knock sounded on the metal door that lead to the squad's floor. Grumbling, Clay answered it.

Digger was on the other side, his chest heaving. "I… ran… all the way… up… Jaller… is… on his way."

Clay swore so hard it would have made a sailor blush. "That no good, rotten…" She sighed. "Stall him, _please._"

Digger nodded and sprinted back to the stairs.

"Whisper!" Clay shouted, the boy came running up to her clothed in his black sweatshirt and jeans. She leaned in close and whispered in his ear. "I need you… to get Jaller to leave. I don't care how, if you get in any sort of trouble, throw me under the bus." She pulled back and stared straight in his eyes. "I'm serious, have all the fun you want with him… and swear you will pull out if things get bad. And get angry."

"Of course Clay." Xander said. He ran over and jumped on the couch. Instantly his body went slack and there was almost an audible sigh as his mind left his body.

Clay leaned back against the wall. She couldn't just have everyone leave, someone had to be here to deal with Jaller if need be.

_Oh man, Zen's not going to like this._ She thought.

"Zendi!" She called out.

Her friend cart wheeled down the hallway and into the common room. Man, she was jacked up on caffeine.

"Now don't get mad at me. I need you to stay here—"

"What?"

"Jaller is coming, I need you to deter him from what we're doing. You're the only one who probably wouldn't rip his head off."

Knife did a puppy-dog face, but nodded.

The rest of the squad gathered in the common room and Clay nodded to Portal. "If you would."

Portal waved her arm up and conjured up a swirling portal.

"Where are we going?" Fenris asked.

"Brotherhood House."

* * *

><p><strong>And, scene. This chapter was going to be longer but I decided to split it as one: I didn't have it finished, and two: It would have been outrageously long. Oh and wondering if I got Mastermind's powers right, and did I spell Sabertooth correctly?<strong>

**Here's a preview for Chapter 20:**

**Chap 20: Continues storyline of chapter 19... Haven and Brotherhood clash. Vince tries to warn the X-Men of Benj's situation, during a Danger Room session. During the fight to protect and/or secure him, Benj has to choose... there are three sides that want _him._**


	21. Chapter 20: His Choice

**Disclaimer: The X-Men, and Brotherhood aren't mine. The OCs are only _partly _mine. Let's see, Fenris belongs to: AvengedVeralin , Sionnach belongs to: San child of the wolves. The other OCs are of course, mine. Thanks guys.**

**Author's note: **May the 4th be with you!

Yeah, it's not May 4th... that's when I wanted this to be up... and then I wrote 5 more pages. You know how it goes. There's a passage in here that I call 'portal catch' where Wanda and Portal are throwing the portals back and forth. An explanation: Portal can move and manipulate the portals she opens, so when Wanda uses her power against her is able to do things like she does.

Great so check it out.

**Red. Enjoy. Review. (oops, Read)**

* * *

><p>Benj twisted his head to the side and prepared some defense to Mastermind's attack. The elder mutant struck out with his mind in a practiced way, focusing on the younger's memories and beginning to alter them. His face twisted in pain as he tried putting up a mental barrier. As his memories continued to slip he mustered up the strongest shield he could and started trying to contact Leo.<p>

If only Jean was at the Institute more, she was the one who helped him most of the time with his telepathic powers.

'_Come on Leo, I __**need **__you!'_

* * *

><p>Vince raced down the sidewalk until he came up to the gates of the Xavier Institute.<p>

"Great… now what do I do? Knock?" Vince grumbled, his scratchy voice grating with his emotions. He ran a hand through his short buzzed hair and went up to a panel next to the gate. He studied it for a second then pressed a button.

"Pick up… pick up!"

* * *

><p><em>Danger Room<em>

"Jamie, duck!" Leo yelled. It was a full blown Danger Room session. Everyone at the Institute was thrown into the midst of a battle that made the older students reminiscent of the Sentinel attack.

A flaming ball of fire went soaring over the young mutant's head. He rolled away from a robot that slashed its arm down.

"Thanks Leo!" Jamie yelled, ducking as another projectile went by and splitting himself up into three and running in different directions.

The objective was basic: don't die and defeat all enemies. Xavier and Wolverine had split the students into pairs who were responsible for each other's safety. Jamie and Leo were paired, Scott and Kurt, Jean and Rogue (which was ironic), Tabitha and Amara, Bobby and Ray, Sam and Colossus, Kitty was supposed to be paired with Benj, but since he never showed Logan became her partner. Ty had been the odd man out and was going to have Storm paired up with him, but like Benj, he didn't return so in this case Storm sat out.

The entire Danger Room had transformed into a large warehouse swarming with humanoid robots with blades as arms and/or laser cannons as arms. Each robot was shiny silver with elongated heads and wires easily exposed, twisting down their arms and legs. Stacks of wooden crates filled the space and the group as a whole was split up.

A robot grabbed a crate and threw it at Jean. She had been pulling apart another robot nearby with her powers while Rogue was doing hand-to-hand combat with another. The crate slammed into Jean and caused her to be propelled into the wall.

Rogue saw that her partner had fallen and kicked the robot she was fighting again. Then she ripped its blade arm off and slashed its head off with its own arm. She threw herself at the robot that was charging at Jean.

Jean rose groggily and stood. She turned to see Rogue fighting the robot that had thrown the box at her, but she didn't realize that's what she was doing. "Rogue! You couldn't have warned me?"

Rogue grunted as she whirled her stolen arm at the other robot's chest, slicing it in half. After it fell she stomped up to her partner. "So sorry, Jean, Ah can't exactly work fast with the powahs Ah got!" She growled.

Jean flushed and looked away. "I'm sorry… I forgot."

There was a sound to their right, Rogue turned her head and saw a robot flying through the air straight toward them. "Get down!" She yelled, tackling Jean.

"What are you— uhn!"

The robot crashed by overhead, followed by Colossus and Cannonball.

"That should teach them!" Colossus grunted with his thick accent.

"Alright man!" Sam cheered. He turned and saw another robot approaching. "Ah got this one!" He blasted straight toward the opponent, his legs seemingly transforming into a cyclone to propel him. He crashed into it then stood up. "Dude, remind me to get a helmet!" He rubbed his head and took a few dizzy steps.

Wolverine snarled as five robots surrounded and tackled him. Their blades cut into his skin as he slashed his own claws at them, but with them so close it was hard to do any proper damage.

Shadowcat saw his problem and ran toward him, phasing through the robots and dragging Wolverine out of the mix. The robots shorted out and sparks flew from their joints. The pair watched the robots fall to the ground.

Wolverine turned to Shadowcat and clapped her on the back. "Nice job half-pint." He twitched and rounded on another robot that was coming up.

A red streak of energy went past as well, sending another into a stack of boxes. The crates toppled, scattering the mutants from the falling debris.

Nightcrawler flashed in and grabbed Sam who was in danger of being crushed by a falling box. He ported next to Colossus who was a second ago prepared to charge in and save his partner.

Colossus smiled at the elf, "Thank you, comrade. I would be very sorry if my partner was injured."

"No problem!" Kurt said. He looked around at the destroyed pile of wood and saw Cyclops. Knowing there was still robots to kill he ported over to his partner.

The metal giant waved away the smell of sulfur and commented to Cannonball. "Have you gotten used to the scent?"

"Nah, I don't think you can ever get used to it."

"Yahoo!" Tabitha yelled. She danced into the crate wreckage throwing firecrackers willy-nilly.

"TABITHA! TABITHA!" Amara called after her friend. "You're going to hurt someone!"

"That's the point, girly!" Tabitha laughed. A large group of robots were gathering again, but Tabitha's seemingly random fire was keeping them back.

She held one hand above her head and focused on gathering energy in her hand to form a huge firecracker. "Okay, tin cans, let's see how you hold up to this one." She muttered, tossing her formation at three robots advancing on her. It lodged in one of their chests before exploding.

* * *

><p>Professor Xavier and Storm observed the events occurring on the video monitors in the control room.<p>

Storm chuckled slightly. "You have to admit, Tabitha really has come a long way with her powers."

"Yes, yes she has." Professor X chuckled as well.

Suddenly a light blinked on one of the panels. Perplexed Xavier rolled over to it and tapped a button. The screen above it wavered to show a teen wearing a black T-shirt and cargo shorts outside the gates.

"Who is that?" Storm asked, frowning a little.

Charles closed his eyes to try to remember. "I believe that's Benj's friend Vincent Bohr." He looked at the screen again. "What is he doing here?"

* * *

><p>Leo dodged under a robot's arm and quickly shifted into his lion humanoid shift. The golden lion roared and grabbed the robot by its head and legs. With ease he tore it in half, causing sparks to fly.<p>

"Ahhh!"

Leo whirled around to find Jamie, recognizing his scream. The younger mutant was sprawled in a broken wooden crate. Another robot was advancing on him.

"JAMIE!" Leo roared, running to his aid.

He swung his arm at the robot and decapitated it. Next he ran to his partner. "Dude, come on man, don't black out." Leo said softly, cradling Jamie's head in his arm.

There was a bit of blood on the back of his head and from a gash in his arm. "Uh… I'm… t-t-trying." Jamie stuttered.

"Shh… listen Jamie, try to stay awake, I'm gonna go get Wolverine."

Leo placed him down gently, putting some boxes around him so no robots would see him. He jumped up and ran toward where he could hear Wolverine's growls.

'_Come on Leo, I __**need **__you!'_ Benj's voice cut through Leo's thoughts, causing him to stumble.

'_Benj! What is it?'_ Leo asked in his mind.

'_I need to borrow your strength, I-I'm in serious trouble here.'_

'_Hold on, so is Jamie.'_

Leo kept running toward Wolverine, slashing robots on the way. He reached his mentor out of breath and even more stressed.

"Wolverine, you gotta call the trainin'. Jamie's hurt."

Wolverine growled. "What happened, where is he?"

"I was fightin' and a 'bot got him." He pointed to where he left him and wavered.

'_A little more warnin' Benj. Take as much as you need now.' _Leo replied in his head. He closed his eyes and focused on lending his strength to his brother over their empathic link.

Stumbling a little, Leo grimaced as fatigue started spreading from his head. He leaned against the crates nearby.

Logan raised an eyebrow behind his mask at Leo. "Are ya okay runt?"

The feline mutant sighed. "Yeah, just get to Jamie."

Wolverine ran off, shouting to the control booth. "Chuck, cut it!"

Tabitha and Magma were nearby where Wolverine had been and noticed Leo's fatigue.

"Uh oh… he's gonna fall." Tabitha yelled. The two ran over and caught Leo as he stumbled again. They could just barely hold him up though, since he was still in his lion shift.

"Leo, shift to human!" Amara groaned under his weight.

"S-sssorry." Leo muttered, shrinking down to his human shift. There was quite a bit of sweat on his brow.

Xavier looked back at the combat monitors as he heard Logan's shout. "Oh no. Computer, cease simulation!"

The Danger Room below blinked, the simulation fading out.

Logan crouched next to Jamie, lifting him slowly. "Hold in there kid." He turned his face up to the control room. "Chuck, we need immediate medical attention here."

"Better make that a double dose!" Tabitha called out as she and Amara dragged a weak Leo over.

Leo cringed. "Benj is in some sorta danger."

Xavier rubbed his forehead. There were too many situations to handle.

"Charles, what would you like me to do?" Storm asked softly.

"Find Beast and get Leo and Jamie to the medical bay. I'll see what Vince wants, it may be important if Leo is saying Benj is in trouble."

* * *

><p>Vince was growing impatient. He knew climbing over the gate was probably a bad idea though… who knew what type of security this place had?<p>

Suddenly a voice came from the panel.

"Vincent Bohr?" The voice was calming and Vince sighed with relief.

"Finally! Are you the professor?"

"Yes I am young man."

"Listen, Benj is in serious trouble. He, aw man he's such an idiot, he broke into the Brotherhood House." Vince said, picking up his board.

There was a pause. "Why would he do that?"

"I don't know, his brother Ty was there and—"

"Tyler?" The professor asked. "Thank you for letting us know Vince, why don't you go home now."

Vince shook his head, although he knew the professor couldn't see him, well he thought he couldn't. "Nuh-uh, I'm not leaving until I know he's okay."

There was another pause and a puff of smoke appeared next to Vince. Kurt shook his fuzzy head at the human.

"You don't make much sense, man." He grabbed him and they ported inside.

As Vince took in the nice interior Kurt smiled. "I guess that is what makes you one of the good ones."

* * *

><p>The shield held. Benj thanked his lucky stars for a brother like Leo, as he continued to sap his strength to preserve the mental shield that was keeping him safe from Mastermind.<p>

After a while Mastermind backed away and sighed to his master. "The boy, although he has weak telepathic powers, is well adapted at defensive techniques. I cannot break him."

Benj sighed as he hung from the wires. His long blonde hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat and blood trickled from his wrists to the ground.

Magneto looked at Mastermind. "Your services are no longer required, leave."

The telepath nodded and seemingly melted into the shadows. In reality he inched back into the doorway he had come from, which closed softly behind him.

"If we must do it this way, fine." Magneto sighed. "Sabretooth, retrieve his brother Ty."

Sabretooth snarled in reply and started up the stairs.

"No!" Benj yelled, straining against the wires holding him. Restrained like that he couldn't even use his air bending abilities.

"One way or another, you _will_ find the Brotherhood to be where you must belong." Magneto said ominously,

One of the screens blinked red. The older mutant turned and tried to hide his surprise.

"Pyro, get out there."

"As much as I want ta boss—"

"Now!"

"I'm goin'!" Pyro called, nearly flying up the stairs.

* * *

><p>Ty revved his motorcycle, still unaware of what was going on around him. A portal opened just behind him and Clay's squad tumbled out.<p>

"Ever heard of 'single file'?" Portal growled as she closed the portal. She turned and saw Tyler Dyson just sitting on his bike. "Uh… guys?"

Clay saw him to and went around in front of him. "No worries, he's with Xavier." She squinted slightly. "Aaand, he appears to be brainwashed… great."

The fog started to lift off of Ty's brain and he looked up into Clay's eyes. "What the—?"

Sabretooth came tearing out of the Brotherhood's front door, followed closely by Pyro. The animalistic mutant growled and prepared to pounce. Pyro let out a laugh and sent flames spiraling at the teens.

"Spread out!" Clay cried.

The squad scattered as Ty came to. He saw the flames coming and tore off his jacket. He put his bare arms in front of his face in an 'X' and absorbed the fire. The pyromaniac stopped as he realized what Ty could do.

"Yeah, nice try." Ty said, heat radiating off of him. His T-shirt was on fire and dropped off of him in burning clumps.

"Ah yah, maybe ya ain't the one I should be fightin'…" Pyro laughed, turning his gaze to Clay. "Now, ya Shelia!" He blast fire out of his flamethrower and transformed it into a charging bull.

Clay rolled out of the way and transformed her arms into shovels and threw dirt onto the fire bull. It disappeared under the dust and Clay shook her arms out.

"You're goin' to have to try harder Pyro!" Clay called.

"Why ya!"

Sabretooth took the time that Pyro had distracted Clay to pounce on her. She grunted as she was pinned to the ground.

Fenris ran up and bit down on Sabretooth's shoulder. He yelled in pain and whirled around to throw the wolf off. This gave Clay the opportunity to get up and unsheathe her sword.

"I think this cat needs a haircut!"

"What the hell is going on here?"

A Jeep, more specifically Lance's Jeep, pulled into the driveway. Lance growled and his eyes rolled back as the ground shook.

A crack went along the ground and caused most of the mutants to lose their balance. Lance jumped out of his car and advanced on the mutants.

Clay smiled. This just kept getting more fun!

* * *

><p>"Uh… dude what does the red light mean again?" Toad looked up from a bean bag chair in Blob's room. A flashing light was fixed above every Brotherhood member's door that blinked different colors depending on what Magneto wanted.<p>

Blob absently turned his head from the television that was now in his room. "I dunno… how should I know?"

"It means we're under attack you numbskulls!" Wanda said, pausing at the open door to the Blob's room. She was already decked out in her Scarlet Witch garb.

Toad jumped up and hopped over to her. "Thanks sugar-lips! What would I do without you?"

Wanda rolled her eyes and growled. "Don't make me fling you out of a window…" She walked on down the hallway, "…again!"

Blob and Pietro snickered from inside the room.

"Ah, shut up." Toad muttered. He called after Wanda. "Hey, wait up my cuddly-kins!"

"Get away from me Toad!"

* * *

><p>A sword swung over Sabretooth's head as he ducked underneath it. As Clay swung it again he clasped the flat of the blade in between his hands.<p>

Clay showed no surprise beneath her mask, there might have even been a glimmer of laughter in her neon green eyes. She tugged the sword downward slicing through the top layer of the skin on Sabretooth's hands.

He snarled and lunged at her; in turn she spun around and back flipped out of his reach.

Lance outstretched his hands and caused the ground beneath Clay to ripple, so when she landed she stumbled. Sabretooth kept coming at her though. Fenris saw the impending danger to her and summoned her sound manipulation powers.

She howled straight at the pair causing a mass of sound waves to crash into them.

Sabretooth landed on top of the leader only to be blow off by the sonic waves crashing into him. Clay dropped her sword and clasped her hands over her ears and grimaced. The vibrations from the sound were causing her form to shake, but as soon as Fenris stopped she pulled it back together.

The wolf-dog sprinted over to Clay and poked her with her nose. Clay sat up shakily.

"Thanks."

"Well what do we have here?" Blob said as he blundered out of the house.

Toad hoped out after him. "Yo, Magneto ain't said nothin' bout some newbies!" The rest of the Brotherhood assembled around him in their gear (except Lance of course, he was still dressed in his usual ripped jeans, black T-shirt, and brown jacket).

"Now, hold up." Clay said, standing. The other Haven mutants and Spades regrouped behind her. "I don't think having what…" She raised a finger and pointed to each Brotherhood member, counting, "…six, seven Brotherhood against five of us is very fair."

Spades snorted. "Make that six, I'm sticking around for this fight."

Clay smiled beneath her mask. "Let's even it out a little then. Portal?"

Portal's hand twitched and one of her portals opened up right next to Sabretooth. Before the man could do anything it engulfed him and vanished.

"Better." Clay said. "Anyone wanna call dibs?"

"Leave Pyro to me." Spades said, opening his palm and letting fire spill out.

"What are we waiting for?" Lance yelled, confronting his team. "Get 'em!"

The Brotherhood charged forward matching up with each Haven member.

Ty intercepted Pyro as he went for Cloak and grabbed his shoulders. The Aussie didn't know what hit him as the demon threw him into some scaffolding. The Blob charged at Cloak, seeing him as an easy and weak target. Quicksilver sped toward Clay, hoping to knock the shape-shifter off her feet. Portal opened a portal and appeared behind the Scarlet Witch. Toad looked quickly at the line-up and hopped toward Fenris, hoping he would not die. Lance opened his hands wide and caused a crack to spread along the ground toward Kitsune.

And of course, chaos ensued.

As Blob yelled running at Cloak, the smaller mutant vanished. "What the…?" Blob muttered as he looked around for where he went. Suddenly a loud _crack_ sounded from the back of his skull. Blob fell forward and behind him rematerialized Cloak, holding his metal Bo staff.

"You know what they say about size…" Cloak mumbled.

"Yeah, well I'm gonna tear you to pieces pipsqueak!" Blob roared, pulling himself up and throwing himself at Cloak. He sidestepped and swung his staff at the large mutant's back. Another loud _crack _was heard, but The Blob did not falter from this blow.

"Nice try, but I'm much stronger than you!" He yelled as he whirled back around and grabbed Cloak around his middle.

The mutant struggled but the pressure put on his chest was too much for him to handle. Black specks swam in front of his vision and he struggled to take a breath.

* * *

><p>Kitsune leaped over the spreading crack in the ground and snarled as he ran at Lance. He'd been itching for a fight for a long time and finally Sionnach got his wish. His deep maroon hair was tied back and his fox ears stood above them. As he leaped through the air toward Lance he twisted and aimed a kick at the other teen's stomach.<p>

Lance tried to raise his arms to block but failed miserably and went skidding across the ground.

"Too easy." Sionnach growled, he snapped his fingers nonchantly. Suddenly a blue flame appeared above them. His eyes widened and he tried shaking his hand to make it go away, instead it crawled steadily up his arm, tickling the flesh. "Ack!" He yelled, startled. "Damn powers!"

He saw that Lance was beginning to get up and grabbed him by the back of his shirt.

"You mutants don't know when to lie down and give up." Kitsune growled.

Alvers looked at him like he was insane. "Uh, you're a mutant."

"I. KNOW!" Kitsune yelled.

* * *

><p>Quicksilver did not like whoever this girl with the bright green eyes was. No matter how he moved to attack her she would dodge it in a split second or block it. He wasn't getting tired, just frustrated. At least she showed signs of wearing down.<p>

Clay ducked under a hasty punch of her rival and bent her body out of the way of another. She could dodge everything, but the concentration and focus needed was more than she liked. She had long sheathed her sword; she had rules about on who and when to use it. Anyone adult was fair game, as well as those with additional weapons of their own, and mutants with healing factors. The gray-skinned mutant was unafraid of taking a life, but preferred not to unless absolutely necessary.

Plus this kid hadn't cause her to completely hate him yet, and who could argue he wasn't attractive?

_Get your head out of the clouds._ She barked at herself.

Clay chanced a glance at the others and saw that e everyone was doing okay-until Blob grabbed cloak. She could tell he was being crushed.

Ignoring her opponent for a moment she called out to Sionnach who had Lance by the back of his shirt.

"Kitsune!" He whirled around. She pointed hastily at Cloak and Blob. "Cloak's in trou- ooff!"

The speedster knocked her off her feet in her momentary distraction.

"Pay attention!" Pietro teased, grabbing her by her shoulders and tossing her.

Sionnach looked away from Clay to his other squad member's dire situation. Seeing Cloak in such pain made him desperate. He snarled, and though he hated it, used his powers to shift into his Kitsune form. His tail split into three and more lean muscles built under his tight fit uniform. His face elongated into the snout of a fox and his harp black nails grew longer, as did his fangs.

Blue flames dripped off his arms onto his hostage as he swung him around in a circle before discus throwing Lance at his own teammate.

Blob was smiling menacingly as he continued the pressure on Cloak. The vanishing mutant floundered in any attempt to breathe or pry the meaty hands off of him.

Quite suddenly, and thankfully for Enrique, a flaming blue Lance flew through the air at Blob. Lance yelled as he saw his perpetual doom.

He collided solidly with blob, causing the huge mutant to stumble back and drop Cloak. The two Brotherhood boys ended in a heap, the blue flames beginning to cover both of their dazed forms.

As the two realized they were on fire and ran off swatting the flames, Sionnach ran to Cloak.

He knelt down next to the white-haired mutant and propped his head up. Cloak's breathing was labored and his eyes were half open and rolling to the back of his head.

"Come on Cloak, stay with me here…"

* * *

><p>Portal ducked and slid back in the dirt, the bottom edge of her long black trench coat skirting the tops of the blades of grass. Her curls bounced from her face and she frowned at Wanda, who had just sent one of her portals flying back at her.<p>

"Careful, you might end up sending someone into the Pacific Ocean." Portal scolded, opening her palm and causing the air beside her to form into a swirling mass of energy. She swung her arm forward and the portal followed suit like it had been thrown, but keeping its flat side toward the Scarlet Witch.

Wanda extended her own hands, blue energy encasing them. Her own energy took over the portal, switching it from purple to an electric blue.

"The ocean, huh? Ya don't say…" She snarled, flicking her hand and sending the portal at the Haven mutant.

Portal braced herself as the portal swallowed her.

Wanda shrugged and turned from where Portal had disappeared. "Those morons!" She sighed as she watched Lance and Blob try to extinguish the flames crawling all over their clothes.

Behind her there was a whooshing sound and a portal opened at about eye level. She turned. What she imagined to be a couple hundred gallons of water poured out of it as well as a few fish… and a very soggy Portal.

The gateway closed as Portal clenched her fist. She stared daggers at the witch and thought about how much she would enjoy tearing the goth's hair out.

She spat out some sea water and grimaced. "Funny…" Portal growled. She got up from the ground slowly and was about to charge her opponent when Toad did it for her.

"Help me snookims! The big bad wolf is tryin' ta eat me!" He squealed. He wrapped his arms and legs around her and refused to let go.

"Get off of me Toad!" Wanda snarled, trying to pry the flailing mutant off of her.

Rena ran up in her wolf morph and barked at Toad, almost playfully. She was having too much funny messing with this scaredy-cat toad. He squealed and squirmed all over Wanda. The witch let loose a string of curses and tried to put her hands between him and her.

Portal smiled. "Nice Fenris." She conjured up a portal behind the toad and wich then slid it over them. The portal closed and Portal sighed. "Two down…"

"Portal, open!" Clay's voice shouted.

The two turned and saw a white and blue-green blur speeding toward them.

"Outamywaygirls!" Pietro shouted as he got nearer. He was running from what appeared to be a Sabertooth-cat. The wooly beast was huge, it's tan fur collecting sunlight and its two foot long fangs glinted.

The girl with the purple streaks in her hair didn't hesitate. She opened a portal quickly.

Quicksilver tried to skid to a halt, but he tripped inches away and fell through.

The sabertooth-cat stopped in its run. An uncanny smile spread across its muzzle. Then it morphed down to Clay. She pulled her mask off a little and took a deep breath.

"Let's go, the mutant we're lookin' for is in the basement of the Brotherhood House." Clay froze. Her eyes caught Sionnach cradling Cloak on the ground. "Cloak!"

The girls ran over to the pair.

Sionnach looked up, his Kitsune morph had faded away. His eyes burned from behind his glasses.

"We need to leave, _now._" He said.

Clay shook her head. "Not now, we _need _to do this."

"Hey, you know, I'm not complaining at all…" Spades approached the Haven mutants. Pyro laid unconscious in an heap of broken scaffolding. "But what the hell are you all doing here anyways?"

"Tell you later…" Clay said, eying him suspiciously. She shrugged and pointed at him. "Come with me, I believe he's your brother."

"What…?" Ty asked, confused.

"Come on! Portal, Fenris, Kitsune, guard the front door and Cloak. This shouldn't take long." Clay commanded, grabbing Tyler's searing skin and rushing inside.

No sooner had the two ran inside the house then the X-Van pulled up to the boarding house. A small group of X-Men, including Cyclops, Rogue, Jean, Shadowcat, and Nightcrawler filed out. Wolverine stepped out of the driver's seat, beyond pissed, and the professor remained sitting in the passenger's seat.

"The door, now!" Portal urged. Sionnach dragged Cloak back and the other two simply ran for it.

The two remaining Brotherhood members had successfully extinguished the flames and were angrily walking back to where the brawls had taken place with burnt holes in their shirts. They saw the X-Men as well and groaned.

"Who do we squish first: the X-Men, or the runts?" Blob growled, cracking his knuckles.

"To Hell with the X-Men, these new mutants need to be taught a lesson." Lance growled, picking off a charred piece of his vest. "The X-Geeks might even help us with this one." He looked nervously at Kitty. Whenever they saw each other on the battle field they had a hard time. He wanted so badly to hurt the new arrivals, but he cared about her safety more. How could he do both? He wondered.

* * *

><p>Leo stumbled out of the infirmary and to the garage. His head still swam a bit from the energy he lost to Benj. Things were a little chaotic around the mansion so he hoped no one would notice him leaving.<p>

Then again…

A hand caught him just as he was about to face plant into the hardwood floor.

"Watch yourself there, kitten."

Leo smiled. "Tabs…" He whispered, leaning heavily on her. Luckily this time he wasn't in his lion shift, so his small human frame wasn't that much weight. "You don't mind drivin' me to the Brotherhood house do you?"

"Would you drive yourself if I didn't?" Tabitha asked, walking along with him. Both were still in their uniforms, neither had bothered to change out of them, in fact no one had. Since returning Tabitha had worn her unofficial uniform from her time as a Bayville Siren and the one she helped fight the horsemen in.

Leo nodded. He took a too big of a step and stumbled again.

"Well it's a good thing I'm here then. There's no way you'd live if I didn't!" Tabitha laughed, hiding her concern. "Wait a sec, you drive a stick-shift, don't you?"

"Uh… yeah."

"Damn it Leo, can't you drive something normal!" Tabitha growled. "Oh well…" Her voice took on a tone that said she knew they were about to do something stupidly fun for the heck of it. "…I guess we'll have to take someone else's." She looked at Leo as they stepped into the garage.

The X-Men team had already left, but the two's eyes fell on a car they knew they would never get to drive again.

Both looked at each other and smiled, answering the same. "Scott's car!"

* * *

><p>"WAHOO!" Tabitha yelled, speeding her way to the Brotherhood House. "Nothing like a little road trip, eh?"<p>

Leo clutched the sides of the car. "Scott's gonna kill us."

"Worry about that later, kitten!" Tabitha shouted. Her good mood was enhanced by her hasty speed. "So what exactly is wrong?"

The red haired mutant sighed. "Benj is bein' held up by Magneto and some telepath. He err… borrowed some of my mental strength to fight the guy off, but he's exhausted, I'm exhausted… the Brotherhood's insane. You know, the usual."

"Understood." The girl said as they pulled the red car up behind the X-Van.

The two cringed as they watched the chaos in front of them.

The X-Men were trying everything they could to get in the front door, throwing things, blasting things, running straight at it, but they were unable to get there.

Fenris kept up an almost constant force field up. She had shaped her mouth in a most un-wolfish way and emitted a strange howling bark from her throat that formed visible light blue force field of sound.

Anything that broke through was transported away by one of Portal's mini portals, and she had just started reopening them behind the X-Men so they were hitting themselves basically.

Both Kurt and Kitty lay knocked out on the ground from such events and Lance was having a hard time not showing concern. Finally throwing caution to the wind he knelt beside her and tried to wake her up. The X-Men appeared confused by this, but they had bigger things to worry about, like the fact they couldn't get in the front door.

"Dang…" Leo muttered. He looked at Tabitha who looked just as amazed. "I wish those mutants were on our side."

Then it clicked. They were from the Haven. Leo gulped, he knew that he'd just keep running into them. He could even see Sionnach on the other side of the two girls.

"Man, oh man." He grumbled. He shook his head and decided not to care what happened. He stepped out of the car.

"Leo what are you—" Tabitha never finished.

Leo roared, shifting and charged at the sonic force field.

"Oh gods, let him through!" Portal said to Fenris. The wolf halted her noise for a split second as Leo raced by then started again.

The lion didn't even really realize what happened. He remembered a feeling like this during a Danger Room session… the capture the flag. He didn't care, or at least the animal didn't. He clambered through the door and followed the mental map Benj had sent him. He barreled down the metal stairs and into the room below with cold amber eyes.

* * *

><p><em>A few minutes before…<em>

Spades pressed his skin against the metal hanger door and released all the heat he had collected inside of him. The door slowly melted, a good sized hole of molten metal left behind. He turned to Clay who nodded. The two walked in carefully.

Immediately metal coils wrapped around them and pressed them to the wall. Unlike the thin cords that held Benj, these were easily eighteen inches in diameter and ended in claw like spikes that separated and pinned the mutants.

"Ty?" Benj gasped.

Clay struggled beneath hers. She could easily escape, but then she saw the more she moved, the more tightly the cords around the blonde mutant who hung in the middle of the room got, and the harder the coil pressed on Tyler. She grumbled to herself, stopping her movement.

"Very good." Magneto mused. "You not only defeated my Brotherhood, but your team mates are now holding their own against the X-Men. I am impressed."

"Somehow I doubt that, Magneto." Clay spat her eyes glowing dangerously.

The man sighed. "Why so little faith Clay Dune?"

She growled. "If it was just you and me in here, your head would be off."

He chuckled. "I have a feeling you're here for the same reasons I am."

"I'm here for him." She gestured with her head at Benj.

Benj's eyes opened incredibly wide. He started paying more attention. Although he was completely exhausted he began mustering up all the strength he could.

"Why is everyone so interested with me?" He asked. The two mutant leaders looked at him, like they didn't realize he was there.

Magneto spread his arms wide. "I am only interested in what's best for you."

Benj snorted, turning his head a little against the cord. "Right… What's your excuse?" He asked of Clay.

Clay ducked out of the metal coil holding her to the wall. She walked around so she was directly in front of Benj, who looked down on her with suspicion. She met his eyes.

"I won't lie to you here Benj." Clay said, her voice taking on a brutally honest monotone. "Your future is of particular interest to me. I won't lie to you that the Brotherhood holds no promise for you, because it does. Choosing them would lead to you becoming a great and powerful mutant, but at a cost you probably aren't willing to make at this time."

"She is lying to you Turbulence. There is no cost here. With us you will become a symbol of power and mutant superiority!" Magneto argued.

"But that's not what you want now, is it?" the gray-skinned mutant asked. "You aren't interested in power and glory." She paused and looked at Spades. "I will make this invitation out to you too."

She unsheathed her sword and glanced at Magneto, who was merely observing.

"How can I get you gone, bucket head?"

He smirked. "this is my house. I will not simply disappear because you asked me to." He extended his hand and called down more wires.

They wrapped themselves around Clay, only to have her remold her body out of them.

"Nice try… my turn!"

Clay raised her right arm and opened her hand at Magneto. A substance matching her sin tone of unmolded clay shot out of her hand and hit Magneto square in the chest. He was knocked back into the computer monitors where the clay spread and hardened, encasing most of his body, and limbs.

"You think this will hold me!" He yelled.

"Actually, no… but it will keep you from listening and interfering." She replied, blasting more clay at him, this time covering his head. "It won't hold him for long, so I'll make this fast." She turned to Spades. Raising her sword she sliced through the coil that held him. He shoved the remainder off and rubbed his shoulder.

"Thanks."

She nodded and went back over to Benj. "Get in front of him Spades, be ready to catch him. Benj, lean forward so you don't fall on me."

Spades shook off the weird feeling he got from the fact Clay knew their names and moved in front of Benj.

Clay whirled her sword around and cut through the wires with ease.

The skater fell forward and hit Spades, who just barely caught him. Benj struggled to stand and found it odd that no heat emanated from Ty's skin, but he figured that's what happens when you melt through a solid metal door.

"Now… what was that you wanted to offer us?" Benj gasped out, leaning on Ty to try and stand up. He frowned slightly. "Weren't you there when—"

Suddenly there was a crashing noise and Leo came roaring in. Although the animal had been in control moments before, the cold glare faded from his eyes when he saw his brothers and Clay.

"…Grrr?" He stared in confusion and shifted back to human. "I am so confused right now… Clay… Benj, Ty?"

Clay smiled behind her mask. "Nice to see you again, Leo."

Benj looked from Leo who looked utterly dumbstruck, to Clay whose expression was impossible to read behind her tan cloth mask.

"Do you two… know each other? Wait… I mean I know we saw her first at the recruitment of that Sionnach guy, but how does she know your name?"

Ty scoffed. "How does she know any of our names. Answers. _Now._"

She looked around at all of the brothers. "Hear me out, all of your futures are intertwined with that of the Haven. I think you would fit straight in there."

"The... Haven?" Benj asked.

"Yes, that's where Sionnach went. That's where I live. It's a safe haven of sorts for mutants who've gotten themselves into some trouble, I came to Leo a few weeks ago when he ran."

"I wasn't ready to go then…" Leo said. "But now…"

"You can't be serious!" Benj shouted. "Bro, you can't just… what about the X-Men?"

"Half of them barely trust me now! It's hard to function in a place where people look at you for your past." Leo yelled back.

Clay interrupted. "Benj, this invitation is to all of you. The Haven is about new beginnings, starting fresh. You want to be a leader, don't you Benj. That's what we need." She paused. "Even better, there's no strings attached. You don't wanna, then don't… we'll keep runnin' into each other, but I will lay off."

The brothers looked at each other. So far, no one could see a huge downside, except having to leave their friends at the Institute behind.

"What about school, and… will we still see the X-Men?" Benj asked. His mind wondered to Rogue. After working so hard, he couldn't leave her behind. He stood up completely, his legs finally not feeling so much like Jell-O.

Clay smirked. "I go to your school now, so all that? Yep."

Benj closed his eyes and thought about it. He would probably get farther with the Haven then with the X-Men. He thought about the same things that passed through his mind when Magneto offered him a slot in the Brotherhood ranks. How hypocritical would he be willing to be? Completely? His loyality was to the X-Men, but everything both these mutants so interested in him said was true. And if Clay said his future was intertwined regardless, why try to fight it?

Leo was ready this time. He no longer felt at home at the mansion, although he couldn't bear to leave Tabitha and Amara (who were quickly becoming his best friends), Jamie (who was like his little brother he would do anything for), or Logan… the only one who saw things the way he did. Things were beyond promising for him at the Haven, but he needed to wait for the right time.

The oldest of the Dyson brothers was along the same lines as the other two.

Ty glanced at his brothers. He sighed. "Listen Clay. I think I speak for all of us when I say this: We would love to join you at the Haven but… This just isn't the time. If we went with you now we would be considered traitors, and that's not what we are. Perhaps another time… especially if we could just nonchalantly sneak away, but that probably won't happen. We're flattered, but not now." He finished.

"I get it." Clay said nodding. She unclipped two more communicators from her waist belt. "Here," she said tossing them to Ty and Benj. "These are Haven communicators—"

"Dude! The Death Star!" Benj cheered.

The Haven mutant smirked. "Yep, red button if you are in trouble. I'll be there."

She tilted her head like she was listening to something.

Leo's tiny ears twitched. He heard Logan's growl from outside. He thought back to the mutants holding the door. If they were Clay's team she wouldn't hesitate to leave.

The girl's eyes glowed bright. "Looks like times up, again guys… that communicator, if you need _anything._"

"Of course." Leo said, bowing and smiling.

"Aw shut up fuzzball." She grumbled, ruffling his hair as she ran by. "Remember, it's _your choice_. The X-Men will only satisfy you for so long!"

As she dashed up the stairs, Magneto's temporary prison started to crack and crumble.

Leo glanced at his brothers. "Let's get out of here."

* * *

><p>Portal dropped her arms and gasped. "I gotta stop. Anymore and we can't get home."<p>

Sionnach growled and looked up at the two girls. "Cloak's not improving, we need to leave."

They looked up to see Wolverine charging at the force field Fenris was just barely keeping intact. Portal had been counting the seconds, she needed to breathe.

"Drop the force field and scatter." Portal commanded, taking charge. "They won't hit a man who's down so leave Ri-Cloak there."

"No way, I'm standin' by him." Sionnach growled, standing. Grimacing he went into his Kitsune morph.

Fenris stopped the eerie noise and sucked in a breath. The force field collapsed. Portal wasn't able to jump out of the way in time before Wolverine's hand was grasping her throat.

Wolverine snarled. Fenris and Kitsune froze. Logan backed up, dragging Portal along with him. He got to what was kinda "X-Men territory" and stopped, holding his claws up to the girl's throat.

"Now let's make this quick, and easy." He said calmly. "What are you doin' here and where's Benj?"

Portal snorted. "You think we had something to do with that? Ha!"

"Well, let's answer the man." A voice said from within the front doorway. Clay stepped forward and hefted her sword onto her shoulder. "Get away from her Wolverine." Her tone grew dark.

Logan released her and pointed his claws at the new arrival. "Clay Dune, it's been too long."

"Likewise." She didn't move a muscle, but her eyes narrowed. Portal ran behind her and waited for her signal.

Leo, Benj, and Ty ran through the door then and sprinted over to where clearly there was a line between Xavier's bunch (with added Lance and Blob), and Clay's squad.

Blob advanced on the Haven mutants. "Alright, now we crush them!"

"Blob, wait!" Cyclops tried yelling.

The huge mutant ignored him and ran straight at Clay. The smaller mutant ducked out of the way and swung her sword at his ankle. He fell forward at the explosion of pain in his ankle from a deep cut. With his face plant he ended up eating a good deal of dirt.

"Argh!" He yelled, cradling his leg.

Clay looked indifferent and turned back to Wolverine. "You got something to say, or can we leave?"

Xavier rolled his wheelchair forward and faced the girl. "What exactly have you been up to?"

"The Haven took particular interest in the safety of Benjamin Dents." She replied. "You're welcome."

"Benj." Both he and Rogue said automatically. They looked at each other and smiled.

"CLAY DUNE!"

Everyone looked to the door again as Magneto came tearing out of it. He levitated to where he was right on the imaginary separation between X-Men and Haven. He was angry.

"How dare you interfere with my business!" He glared at Clay. "And to think, I believed you would see things our way."

"You kidnapped an X-Man, bub" Logan growled, extending his claws again. "You're lucky _we_ aren't rippin' you apart."

"As if you could." Magneto waved the threat off. "This is none of your concern Wolverine. Nor yours Xavier. Now, Benj, your choice."

Benj cringed as all eyes turned to him. He got a little distracted by the crying Blob on the ground, but then he faced Magneto.

"I'm gonna have to say no. I'm with the X-Men, and for the moment there is nothing you can do to stop that." The skater said, expressing half of his choice. The other half was that he would eventually join the Haven, but that was of no one's concern.

Magneto narrowed his eyes, but didn't attack. "Fine, just know you've made the worse choice."

"Clay." Sionnach whispered. When she turned he pointed at Cloak urgently.

"Portal, now!" Clay shouted.

The girl spread her arms wide and the squad jumped through.

Clay was the second to last one through, at which point Magneto spoke. "I know who you are Clay Dune. You cannot keep hiding from me."

"Watch me Magneto."

* * *

><p>Beast bound the wounds on Benj's wrist with a practiced hand.<p>

"You know, I think I see you in here too much." Beast laughed. He tied off the bandage he was working on and Benj groaned.

"I wish I wasn't here all the time." Benj said, rubbing his wrists.

Beast laughed again. "Let's take a look at your neck. Yep, those are some nasty bruises, you're lucky you didn't slit your neck as well."

Benj nodded. He looked over to the other bed in the infirmary. Jamie laid there unconscious with his head bound tightly.

"Is he goin' to be okay?" He asked softly. Leo sat by Jamie's side, dozing in the chair.

"I…" Beast frowned. "I think he will… but he's done some serious damage to his head."

"I wish we had a healer here." Benj grumbled.

"All of us do." Hank said, walking away. "Oh, and by the way, Vince is here to make sure you're not dead… again."

Benj smiled. "Yeah, he thinks I do that a lot." His grin grew wider as he witnessed the boy running through the hall outside.

"I SWEAR! AWW MAN!"

Benj laughed and walked out to meet him. "Vince, calm down."

"BENJ! YOU AIN'T DEAD!" Vince's scratchy voice shouted. He ran over and picked him up. "Stop trying to die man!" He said, thumping Benj back down. "Don't leave me here alone again… I swear, Ray's gonna kill me."

"Well you did steal his girlfriend." Benj muttered.

"Well… I… uh… you know… maybe it is my fault." Vince said. "Listen, I'm gonna head home. You," he jabbed his finger into Benj's chest, "should try not to die until Monday. See ya later." He turned then froze. "You know, I just realized I have no clue where I'm goin'."

* * *

><p><strong>There's His Choice. Hope it was... well what you might have wanted. I'm not ready for Benj, Leo, and Ty to meld into the Haven because there's a pretty big event I gotta have happen first.<strong>

**Now update on Haven Origins: I will probably have the prologue up by tomorrow. Then it will be Knife/Zendi Idnez first followed by Fenris/Rena. I'M SO EXCITED! If either of those two are your OCs expect certain PMs from me with questions and expansions. If you think of anything important you think I should know, don't hesitate.**

Favorite line: "WAHOO!"... oh Tabitha.


	22. Chapter 21: Masked Fate

**Disclaimer: The X-Men aren't mine they're Marvel's. This chapter is filled with OCs, most of which were created by reviewers. Jaller's name comes from a Bionicle character, but although his powers and armor are similar his personality is not. Bionicle is a product of LEGO.**

**Author's note: **You guys rock!

Who would've thought I'd make it to 21 chapters. I never thought I would. I would like to thank all of those readers who've stuck around this long with the story: Thanks for putting up with leaves of absense, short chapters, long chapters, and a storyline that weaves its way where ever it wants. It's because of you I'm still writing for D-Factor, and I'm especially thankful for those reviewers who motivate me to try to meet my one week deadlines. It's been nearly 8 months since D-Factor started and I can't say enought times how much my readers mean to me.

**Read. Review. Enjoy. (and stick around)**

* * *

><p>"Where is she?"<p>

Zendi stood in front of Jaller, feet planted, stubbornly keeping her mouth shut.

The new official leader of the Haven was very tall, towering a foot over Zendi. He wore red plated armor on his, upper arms, and legs, with a gold colored chest plate. It served good protection, though it was light-weight. Underneath he wore a dark red full-body suit. His yellow-green eyes peered out from behind a red helmet that left his mouth looking like it was in a permanent smile. It was bumpy on the top and there were dents around his eyes. His gear made him look like Jaller, the Toa Ignika of fire. Bionicle was a reoccurring theme for his team's code names and uniforms.

Jaller laughed. "Come on… Whisper, where is she?" He looked beyond where Zendi stood to Xander, who was sitting up on the couch.

Xander stood, brushing off his shoulders and looking down his nose at Jaller. "I can honestly say I don't know, even if I did, I wouldn't tell the likes of you."

Digger cleared his throat from behind Jaller, making a slashing motion across his neck, signaling for Xander to be quiet.

Jaller glanced back at Digger and shrugged. He obviously thought nothing of him. "Now, I know you know where Clay is." He looked over the mutants in the room. Zendi was standing her ground, feet set a little ways apart like she was ready to spring at him. Xander sat on the couch, steadily holding his gaze. Ash stood next to her younger brother Nico, dwarfed and staring blankly at him. Jaller knew better though, she was paying special attention to every word that came out of his mouth.

Digger drummed his metal hand against his leg. They were only able to delay Jaller for about a half an hour, and he'd been standing in the common room for another half an hour. If Clay didn't show up soon…

As if she'd heard his thoughts call him, a portal opened a few yards to the right of Zendi. The squad came tumbling out, with Clay and Portal being the last two. Portal saw Jaller in the room and froze, her portal closing unexpectedly with a _pop._

"Kitsune, Portal, get Cloak to the medical bay ASAP, hopefully Jed—" Clay started. She halted midsentence when her eyes met Jaller's.

"Jaller." Clay said, her tone icy. "Can I help you?"

"Actually, you can. I have a few things to ask you." Jaller said.

"Well that will have to wait, I need to make sure Cloak has his injuries seen to." She turned and nodded at Sionnach, who started toward the door.

Jaller held out his arm and stopped him. "Not so fast, your squad and you need to stay in here until I get a few questions answered."

Everyone cried out.

Clay was the only one who kept her cool, well and Ash, who stood quietly but seemed on edge and balled her fists.

"Why?"

The elected leader shrugged. "Orders."

Clay rolled her eyes. "You and I both know that's bull shit, but if you insist." She looked straight at Digger. Jaller was paying too close attention to Clay and her squad to pay any mind to Digger as he left. Clay pointed to the couch. "Set Cloak down and take his shirt off, we'll see what damage there is that we can fix without a healer."

"I… uh don't feel comfortable doing that." Sionnach muttered, his cheeks flaming.

"_You_ don't have to remove his shirt, and we've been over this, I—" She looked at Jaller. "Never mind, just do it."

Sionnach laid Cloak down and stepped back. Portal and Ash ran over, removing his cloak. Zendi tossed a small knife to Portal who caught it with ease and slashed open the Spaniard's shirt. Clay didn't take her eyes off Jaller, though she was insanely worried about Enrique.

Ash studied Cloak's wounds coolly. He was badly bruised around his ribs; the skin was marbling purple, black and blue. It was probable that a rib or two was broken as well. His eyelids fluttered like he was struggling to come into consciousness, and his breathing was ragged.

Ash's jaw was clenched, the muscles working hard. She bit her lip and glared past Jaller to the wall behind him. "We can't do much, he needs to see someone who can heal him."

"I thought you were a healer?" Jaller said, impassively.

"Her powers are _limited_, Jal-luh." Clay growled. "Now what do you want to ask me, we haven't much time."

"Only a few questions." Jaller said, smiling. "One: I see you've taken on a new mutant, why didn't you follow the rules and bring him to the arena?"

Clay glanced at Cloak, her face growing pale. She tore off her mask and threw it down. "The arena? I didn't have to bring Sionnach there, I brought him in, and he expressed desire to be on _my _squad."

"Maybe someone else would have liked to have him." Jaller said, taking a step forward. "The rule is that all new mutants are brought to the arena where different crew leaders have the opportunity to take them on. _You_ did not follow that rule. That's hypocritical y'know?"

"That's not quite how the rule worked last I checked. New mutants can choose whose team to be on, and the team that brings them in has first call. There would have been no need for someone to challenge me for him."

Most of the squad was following the conversation, but it had Sionnach confused. He scrunched his eyebrows together and looked at Clay. "What the hell are you guys talking about?"

Clay turned back for a second to answer. "I'll explain it to you later… for now…" She glared at Jaller. "If you have a problem with what I've done—"

Jaller held up his hands in surrender. "Oh, no, no… this works for me… more reason for you not to be in charge if you can't follow the rules you helped come up with."

Knife and Fenris came up behind Clay and stood behind her, they were basically her second-in-commands and ready to have her back if need be. The wolf-dog stood up and resumed human form to avoid too much attention from Jaller, who seemed to always be suspicious when one of Clay's team used their powers in his presence.

The gray-skinned mutant clenched and unclenched her fists, sighing. "Okay, what else?"

"Your squad has taken several unauthorized excursions, why?"

Clay tilted her head to the side. Jaller was investigating her squad. This was not going to fly. "All excursions my team has made have been authorized."

Jaller frowned. "Just because you're father is—"

"This has nothing to do with my father, just so you know Jaller." Clay said, pointing her finger at him. "We have made lives at school, and sometimes that means we have to stay out longer or go back in."

"The trip you just took was not authorized, Dune." Jaller leaned in close to Clay's face. "I received no word of warning or authorization from Dusk." He paused and stepped back. "Speaking of which… Dusk wants to talk to you."

Clay gulped. When people said "Dusk wants to talk to you", instead of "Darth" or "your father", she knew she was in trouble. Darth didn't use his code name much, and when he did it meant he meant business. And worse yet, he set Jaller after her. She was in deep trouble.

"Is that it then?" Clay asked, her voice oddly small.

Zendi looked confused at Clay, she rarely sounded like that… like there was a lump in her throat. Not even when they talked about her family, the few times that occurred, did she ever sound small and scared. Even when someone was hurt she was more angry and worried, and willing to do everything and or anything to see them okay, than scared.

Rena noticed the change too, her animal instincts telling her something was very wrong. That and Jaller just said Dusk wanted to talk to her, she knew from experience that wasn't good.

"No, you've been charge with insubordination." He actually looked please with himself, though most of his face was hidden. Jaller held up his hands like it wasn't his fault. "You're requested to submit your authority as squad leader to someone else, and as consequence you and your team are required to serve border patrol."

"What?" Clay yelled. "You know damn well I've only done things in favor of the Haven."

"You went on an unauthorized mission just now. Don't say you didn't, because we all know you did. And look what it got you…" He pointed at Cloak sprawled out on the couch surrounded by the rest of the squad minus Zendi and Rena. "You can't properly take care of your team when you're worried about your own agenda."

"My _squad_ is all I have, I would never—"

"But you did, Dune." Jaller said, pleased with himself. "Just look at Cloak, none of this—"

"He'd be fine if you'd just let us leave!" Clay snarled, her hand going to her sword; but the sword wasn't there. She looked down startled to see the clasp on the unstrap had been undone and the sword and its sheath were gone. She whirled around. Zendi stood with a look on her face that said she was doing this for her own good and the sword in her hands. Zendi shrugged.

"You can't just stick him Clay." She whispered.

Clay relaxed her shoulders and took a deep breath. She turned her burning eyes to Jaller.

"I will not give away my leadership, I'm plenty qualified and I don't think anyone here has a problem with it." She said matter-of-factly. "We'll do border patrol if that satisfies you, but be careful Jaller. You're makin' enemies you don't want." Clay glanced back at her squad. "Now, get out… I need to _see to my squad_."

Jaller narrowed his eyes and backed out, keeping an eye on Clay, who returned his gaze. As he opened the solid metal door, Digger and another mutant ran in. Jaller paid them no mind and left.

Clay sighed and looked at Zendi. "Thanks Zen… What would I do without you?"

"Well, you would have killed Jaller…" Zendi chuckled.

Clay smiled and turned to Digger and the new mutant. "Great job, Digger." She gestured over to Enrique. "Jed, I believe you know Cloak, right?"

'Jed' nodded. The mutant was pale with jet black hair. He wore what was probably hospital scrubs, he worked in the medical bay so it wasn't a big surprise. Jed also wore black leather gloves over his hands. His eyes lacked irises.

He came forward and knelt next to Cloak and Ash. "May I have a look?" He asked politely.

Ash nodded and moved over.

Jed took off his gloves and ran his hands over Cloak's chest. A soft white glow was emitted from his eyes and hands. "Let's see, three broken ribs here…" He pointed to a spot on the boy's chest. "The rest is bruising, I'm guessing the ribs are crushing his lungs, so that's why he can't get a full breath."

He shrugged and laid his hands flat on Cloak's chest, pressing down slightly. The glow came again, spreading across Cloak's body.

A few minutes later Jed sighed and stood up. "The ribs are fixed, and the slight bleeding halted. I can't do a ton about the bruises, but they should heal a bit faster." He slipped his gloves back on. "I'm not as good as Ash here, but the only plus is I don't feel the pain. Thank you for letting me help."

Clay lifted an eyebrow and laughed. "Thank us? Thank you, Jed, we owe you and your team."

Digger smiled. "I believe we can work out payment. Whatcha doin' Friday night?"

Zendi elbowed Clay while the rest of the squad laughed. "She isn't doing anything. Looks like you got yourself a date, Clay."

Clay rolled her eyes and turned to walk Jed and Digger out. "Shut yer face Zen." She leaned to whisper into Digger's ear as they left. "I ain't got plans, what do you have in mind?"

* * *

><p>Clay took a deep breath. She stood outside of Dusk's office, a room that was attached to his private living area. Her clothing melted and changed until it was just a white T-shirt and jeans, instead of her uniform. With another sigh she knocked.<p>

The door swung open on its own accord. Clay walked in, and wasn't surprised when it slammed shut.

Dusk sat at an ebony desk in a large black office chair. He had his feet resting on the desk, his black boots seeming larger than they really were. He wore light armor that glinted midnight black and purple, and fingerless black gloves. He wore a mask that looked similar to Slade's from Teen Titans, only solid purple and both eyes were visible. Purple eyes glinted back at Clay.

"Uh… hi?" Clay muttered, avoiding his gaze.

Dusk stood up, walked around to the front of his desk, and leaned back. "Claire, what do you think you're doing?"

Clay twitched as he used her real name. "We've been over this I don't—"

"Never mind that." Dusk said hastily. He reached up and removed his mask. It was Nick Darth, Clay's father. "Why didn't you tell me about your vision?"

Clay sighed. The seer abilities she had were shared by Darth/Dusk. The two of them would occasionally see bits of the future, thought the gift wasn't related to either of their X-Genes. Clay thought back to how her grandmother had explained it. When both her and Nick had figured out they had the seer abilities they went to the only other person they knew shared them as well, Grandma Darth.

Clay chuckled now, but it was lucky her grandmother could help them out. They figured their seer abilities were somewhat connected to their Advanced X-Genes. The seer ability itself was genetic, but only became active in those in their family with active X-Genes as well.

It also so happened that when one of them had a vision, the other saw bits and pieces of it as well. If Clay was a betting man, which she wasn't one to bet, nor a man, she would have bet on what parts Darth saw.

"You can't just go off and rescue an X-Man without at least telling me. Did Jaller come after you?" Darth asked.

"Yep. And what we did was worthwhile. We have three new mutants pledged to the Haven, though they ain't ready to come yet." Clay said, her worry melting away a little.

"And Cloak?"

"He's fine, I'm guessing you didn't see that part did you? I always knew he'd be okay, but Jaller was making me nervous. Why'd you send him if you knew he'd just delay me?" Clay was growing bolder now, obviously she wasn't in as big of trouble as she thought.

Darth frowned. "He came to me…"

"What? How'd he know I was leaving?" Clay asked, confused as well.

"I don't know." He rubbed his scar along his eye. "That's not what I wanted to talk to you about though."

_Crap._ Clay groaned.

"It's the other one… the… the one where the Haven falls."

* * *

><p><strong>I know this was kinda short, but at least you finally got to meet the dreaded Jaller. For those who were wondering last chapter were RobertoSunspot was: he has the Flu. Now that may not seem important, but it is.**

**Next chapter will probably be mostly school scenes, soccer practices, and Haven, Brotherhood, and X-Men interactions in those public spaces. What joy! Anything specific you guys want to see?**


	23. Chapter 22: Just More Problems

**Disclaimer: The X-Men don't belong to me, they're Marvel's. The OCs featured are either mine or one of my reviewers (check my profile for full details).**

**Author's note:** I think I met the deadline.

Ha! Back on track. So this chapter has most of what I said it would. Sorry San child of the wolves, I didn't use your ideas. I started with the Ash idea, but it's not time yet for the Haven to become exposed. Look forward to some of the Sionnach idea in the next chapter, and the Ash idea probably.

And don't worry, I only changed the name of the last chapter from Jaller to Masked Fate (which any hardcore Bionicle fans will get).

**Enjoy. Read. Review.**

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><p>Leo sprinted toward Biology with a goofy grin on his face. He'd just been told by the soccer coach he could do his try-out this afternoon, and he got the solo in jazz band, and he saw that Enrique's name was already on the list for the varsity soccer team. He couldn't wait to tell him!<p>

Turning a corner he slammed into a girl. The two both went down in a heap.

Leo was the first to recover, shaking his head and mentally scolding himself for being stupid. "Hey, look I'm so sorry I—"

"Shut up moron." The girl snapped.

As the two untangled themselves Leo stood and offered his hand to help the girl up. He then recognized her as Claire Darth. He gulped. _Not only did I crash into someone… I crashed into the principal's daughter. Moron is right._

Claire glared at him for a second with her harsh green eyes, then her expression softened. She reached up and accepted the hand, Leo pulled her up quickly.

"Look, I'm so sorry I—"

"You already said that." Claire said in a monotone voice. Maybe if she kept her voice even he wouldn't recognize her as Clay. Then again, maybe it would be better if he did.

Leo grinned. "Yeah, but you never let me finish." He leaned in closer to her. When in doubt, charm a girl out of hating you. If that doesn't work… run. "I'll start again: Look, I'm so sorry I—"

Claire held up her hand. "Seriously? Stop." She turned and started walking down the hall.

"Hey… hey wait!" Leo called after her, carefully grabbing her shoulder. "May I walk you to class?" He bowed deeply and gave his crazy grin again.

Claire couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, sure whatever. Get up you loon."

He straightened up and smiled normally. "Thank you my liege."

Claire rolled her eyes as they navigated the halls. She had one hand on her backpack strap and the other hung at her side closest to Leo. He continued to spew charm the whole way. He made her laugh but she kept a wary eye on him. The last thing she needed was for him to recognize her as Clay Dune.

She continually notice the way he walked so calmly down a hall of people who most likely hated him. His upper arms were exposed and she was surprised to see they were muscular; he was a kind of scrawny guy. He was short for a guy, being probably slightly smaller than her, but his confidence made him seem taller. He held his head up high. Clay watched as he spoke, getting sucked into his glittering amber eyes that were also flecked with gold if you came closer.

Snapping out of her reverie she sighed. Things would always be weird between them; she wasn't who he thought she was.

They neared her classroom, the AP Chemistry room, where outside it was Benj and Rogue. Benj was still growing and now had several inches on Rogue. He held her hands and swung his arms, content with what he had. He cupped her chin in his hand and tried for a kiss, but Rogue placed her hand in between their faces.

"Ya wouldn't do any good passed out on the floor." She whispered.

Benj smiled and kissed her hand, looking up to see Leo and Claire walking that way. He nodded his head and Rogue turned.

"What brings you this way, bro?" Benj asked.

Leo pointed at Claire. "I crashed into this poor dame and offered to walk her to class."

Claire, without warning, punched him in the shoulder. Leo buckled from her uncanny strength and rubbed his hand over his most likely now bruised shoulder. His eyes widened as the crystal over his heart tugged at Claire. Obviously she wasn't following the no powers rule.

"You call me a dame again, and I'll aim for somewhere else." Claire growled.

Leo looked shocked for a moment then burst out laughing. "No, please… have mercy! Hahaha, I'll keep that in mind _chica_."

Rogue looked at the two of them and smirked. "Ya're gonna have a hard time havin' kids if ya keep messin' with her Leo."

The X-Men started laughing. Claire glared at Rogue and skulked inside the classroom.

"Damn, she's still mad at me." Rogue said, stopping the laughter.

"What did you do?" Benj asked.

"Who knows? Maybe Ah'll get things smoothed ovah in class."

"Good luck!" Benj called as Rogue chased after Claire.

_Ding-dong. Ding-dong._ The warning bell sounded.

Both brothers cursed and looked at each other.

"English."

"Bio."

"We're never goin' to make it." Benj groaned.

Leo laughed. "You don't know if you don't try!" With that he turned and sprinted down the hallway.

This time his running was more successful. Most students had cleared the hallways so there wasn't anyone to vault over. He slammed into the classroom door just as the tardy bell sounded.

Leo smiled apologetically at the teacher and looked back at his seat. He frowned as he saw that Enrique was not there.

He awkwardly made his way to the back table and sat at his stool. The classroom felt oddly empty. He didn't know any of the freshmen in there well, they kept their distance for a number of reasons. Enrique must have caught the Flu that was going around, Roberto already had. He glanced sadly at Jamie's seat that was also empty.

Leo had spent all Sunday, minus the time he was at church, at Jamie's side. He felt incredibly guilty about what happened during the DR session. Well, it _was_ his fault after all. If he had been paying more attention… if he hadn't left his side… if he—

"Mr. Dyson."

Leo shook his head out and looked up. The teacher and the whole class were staring at him.

He rubbed his head. "Uh… sorry, sir. I kinda zoned out. What was that?"

The teacher rolled his eyes and repeated the question. "I asked if you could name the classification system used in naming animals."

"Uh… I don't know the name but I know how it works. King Phillip Came Over For Good Spaghetti." Leo said. When the class just stared at him he sighed. "Animals are classified by Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus and Species. That's just a little trick I use to remember them." He paused. "The scientific name is the Latin genus and species name."

The teacher cracked a smile and nodded. "Very good, Leo. Class remember that naming trick Leo just gave you… it seems to work."

Leo exhaled. That was a close one. He needed to still pay attention during class apparently.

* * *

><p>Rogue stood awkwardly next to Claire and they started their lab work.<p>

Half the classroom was desks and the other half black counter lab stations with computers and stools. From past experience Rogue knew working with an unwilling partner would be bad, hopefully they could patch things up fast before they got into too much chemical work.

Claire wrote down the procedures in a fast scrawl and then turned to Rogue. "You wanna get the beakers out? I'll get the acid."

"Yeah… sure."

Half the class period went by with short quick answers from both girls. Finally Rogue couldn't stand it anymore.

Placing a hand on Claire's shoulder she stopped their lab. "Okay, what did Ah do ta piss ya off?"

Claire looked steadily at the chemicals in one hand and then calmly set them down with a sigh. "Nothing, it-it's not your fault. I… I just have some things going on at home I just don't wanna deal with right now."

Rogue frowned. Darth didn't seem like that bad a guy, so she couldn't imagine anything being bad at home.

Claire sense Rogue's apprehension and continued. "I brought up the Xavier Institute thing." This wasn't a complete lie. When Darth asked about her vision she did mention the possibility of joining with the X-Men. Instantly terminated and shot down. Claire was only worried about the safety of her Haven family, Darth was too, but didn't think that would help anything. But then again, he had started up a partnership with them at school… so maybe it wasn't a complete "no".

"My father doesn't want me hangin' around you guys that much." Claire answered, truthfully.

Rogue frowned. "Ah'm sorry Ah got ya in trouble then."

"Nah, it ain't your fault." Claire muttered, adding the hydrochloric acid to the solution. She knew it was too much, but she was a bit distracted… and tired. Nearly all night border patrol doesn't help one concentrate during school. "My dad's just…" She swore. The solution started bubbling and overflowing out of the beaker.

Rogue stepped back and called the teacher over, while also running to get paper towels.

After they cleaned up the mess, class had ended.

Claire threw her goggles into the goggle cabinet and grabbed her backpack. She was about to head out then froze. She turned around and looked at Rogue.

"My father mentioned that he agreed to a partnership with Xavier."

Rogue frowned. "Ah didn't know that we were doin' that."

The neon-green eyed girl raised an eyebrow. "Well… I'm sure he was about to tell you guys. Let him know that… that I know some mutants that would be interested in learning from him."

* * *

><p>"Ha!" Kitty cheered.<p>

She, Kurt, and Amanda were gathered around Kitty's locker. Amanda clung to Kurt's arm and was smiling.

Kitty jumped up and pointed at Kurt. "I so told you that, like, Darth Maul was better than Darth Vader!" She danced around the couple. "Like who can't survive being cut in half now!"

Kurt sighed. "How was I supposed to know they'd bring Darth Maul back?"

Kitty continued her victory dance and stuck her tongue out at Kurt.

The elf looked up at the ceiling. "Why would you spite me so George Lucas?" He whined.

Amanda laughed. "What _are_ you guys talking about?"

"Star Wars." The two X-Men said plainly.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Kitty thinks Darth Maul is better than Darth Vader," he looked straight at Kitty, "which she is completely _wrong_ about."

"I still don't get—"

"Apparently the creators of _Star Wars: The Clone Wars_ felt like bringing Maul back to life." Kurt sighed. "And now I will never here the end of it."

"Nope!" Kitty laughed. She stopped dancing as she saw the Brotherhood boys walking down the hall. Kurt followed her gaze and frowned.

Lance walked up to the X-Men and stopped. "You guys go on, I got something to do."

Pietro looked at Toad and chuckled quietly. "More like you have kitties to kiss." He whispered.

"Get outa here!" Lance growled, turning on his teammates.

They shrugged and kept walking.

Lance looked uncomfortable around Kurt and his girlfriend. He'd shown too much of his feelings during the fight on Saturday and he was afraid they would mention it.

Kurt pulled a face. "What do you want Lance?"

"I… uh, need to talk to Kitty." Lance muttered.

Kurt looked at Kitty, confused.

Kitty waved off Kurt and Amanda. "Like, I'll see you guys later."

She nodded over to the side as to say to Lance, "Let's go over there." She started walking, but stopped when Kurt grabbed her arm.

"What are you _doing_ Kitty?" He hissed. "Don't go anywhere alone with him!"

Kitty rolled her eyes and glanced at Lance. "He's not going to _hurt_ me Kurt!" She paused. "We've been… uh…"

Lance sighed. "We're seein' each other. Got a problem with it, blue boy?"

Kurt could only look stunned as the two walked off. It's not like he shouldn't have seen it coming, but really? _Kitty could do better_, he thought.

"Well that was a surprise…" Kurt mumbled.

* * *

><p>Most of the Institute students were ignoring homework obligations in the Rec Room. The boys huddled around the television, playing their overly violent shoot-'em-up game.<p>

Spades was one of them, finally relaxing enough to rejoin the crowd. He was winning horribly, causing the others to wail. He grinned and sat back.

"Aw, come on Ty, give us a break!" Bobby whined, throwing down his controller.

Ty laughed. "Fine, everyone gets a ten second head start…" He grinned, baring his shark-teeth, "then I kill you."

"You may have to hold off on that." Logan growled, storming in the room. The teens groaned, fearing a surprise DR session.

Professor X rolled in after Logan, trailed by Benj and Storm. He nodded to the boys on the couch. "Turn to Channel 8."

As they fumbled with the remotes, Logan tapped his foot impatiently. Tabitha looked up from her seat. "What's goin' on prof?"

"You'll see." Logan answered gruffly.

Finally the boys were able to switch to the normal TV and then to the requested channel. Not knowing what was happening, they all sat holding their breath.

A man anchor's voice came from the news show, explaining the footage showing. The clips of Sionnach Fae losing control played repeatedly.

"A young mutant, now identified as Sionnach Fae, was found dead in the Arizona wilderness early this morning. Reports show that the mutant died of dehydration. Local police are not investigating his death any farther, and his family has requested he be buried swiftly." The anchor paused. "The footage shown is of the mutant's initial attack on three young children. Thanks to our sister station— _click"_

Logan turned off the television at this point.

Ty blinked at the screen. "He's… dead?"

"I don't know about that, kid." Logan said gruffly.

"Wha— how do you—" Ty started.

"Benj and I were in Cerebro," the professor said, "I figured it would be nice to have another telepath that could use Cerebro, and we were doing simple mental scans of power usage in Bayville. Storm was helping us by using her powers right outside. We then compared the different levels put out when—"

"When I had the idea that we could compare the energy signatures of the fight with the Haven to energy being put out in the city, you know to try to figure out who some of them are." Benj interrupted, swiping his blonde hair from his eyes. He was pretty proud of his idea.

The professor smiled at Benj's pride and continued. "Luckily we had just updated Cerebro so it now stores mutant power levels in a database for future reference. This change was made _before_ our recruitment mission of Sionnach Fae."

Ty blinked again. "So…?"

Benj answered. "One of the power signatures from the Brotherhood House fight matched Sionnach Fae!"

Ty rubbed his head. "Yeah, but—"

"I highly doubt the Haven mutants killed him." Benj said. "Plus, it takes a while to die of dehydration." He seemed giddy with his helpful idea.

Logan laid a heavy hand on the blonde mutant's shoulder. "Stop jumping, you're makin' me nervous." He growled.

Benj nodded and sobered up. "Uh… we also looked for where the mutant that makes those portals showed up."

"It would appear that she goes to Bayville High." The professor finished. "Several times portals were opened on school grounds."

"Did you get an ID?" Bobby asked.

"No, all of the Haven mutants had the same fuzzy signal, like there was a something cloaking them." Xavier sighed.

Ray sneezed. Everyone turned and looked at him. "Sorry, man I hope I'm not comin' down with what Roberto has."

"Is there anything else, Professor Xavier?" Ty asked, anxiously fingering the gaming controller in his hand.

"I have an announcement to make once all the students arrive for dinner." Xavier said bluntly. "And I hope all your homework is done."

The teens nervously glanced at each other and nodded.

"Of course professor!"

* * *

><p>Jamie groaned and turned over. He had rolled over onto his injured arm, causing a jolt of pain to wake him. Beast had said that sleeping a lot usually helps a person recover faster, so that's what Jamie had been doing. It was a good way to keep from getting bored as well; there was nothing worse than staring at the blank walls in the infirmary.<p>

The boy's eyes fluttered open and they adjusted to the harsh white light. He looked to his right and wasn't surprised to see Leo sitting there.

"Hi." Jamie muttered, rubbing his eyes, trying to shake off the sleep.

The worried look in Leo's eyes melted away and he smiled. "Hey there Jamie! How you feelin'?"

"Better… I'm bored out of my mind though." Jamie said, trying to sit up. His arm was bound so it wouldn't bend the way he wanted. Leo leaned over and pulled him into a sitting position.

"Good thing I brought this then…" Reaching into his pocket, Leo pulled out a hand-held gaming device. He tossed it to Jamie, who caught it one handed.

"Thanks!" Jamie smiled, placing the device on the table next to him. He looked at Leo. "What about you, what are you up to?"

Leo leaned back. "Nothing much."

Jamie laughed. "You're covered in sweat! Either Wolverine whooped your butt or—"

"It was soccer try-outs." Leo stopped him, running a hand through his damp hair. He hadn't bothered showering when he got back, wanting to see how Jamie was faring. His hair was wet with sweat and it still glistened on his forehead. "The coach said it's likely I'll make it."

Jamie sat back and let some silence sink in. He looked at Leo. "You're thinking of running, aren't you?"

Leo looked shocked, and sat forward. "Where would you get that idea?"

"You are, aren't you?"

Leo didn't answer.

Jamie looked at his face, as to read his reaction. "You have that same look Rogue got before she ran off, and you aren't talking to most of us here…"

Leo picked at his fingernails. "I… uh, I guess I've thought about it."

"Are you going to?" Jamie asked, his voice catching in his throat.

The older mutant met the younger's eyes. "I'm not going anywhere Jamie, not as long as you need me here."

"And when I don't?" Jamie questioned, not turning from Leo's amber eyes.

"I make no promises." Leo answered in a low, gruff voice. "I don't exactly fit in here, Jamie… if you haven't noticed."

"But it was fine until—"

"Until I told everyone I killed three teenagers. I knew I was damn stupid when I did, but I didn't want it to come between me and the team." Leo groaned, sitting back in his chair. "Look where that's gotten me."

"Leo, no one's been in that kind of situation though. They don't know what it's like to be pushed to the edge of wanting to kill someone." He shrugged. "And it wasn't completely your fault, you didn't have control."

The feline mutant shook his head. "You get it, why can't everyone?" He rubbed the heel of his hand into his forehead. "Listen, d-don't mention anything I said here to _anyone_. Okay?"

Jamie nodded. "Your secret's safe with me."

* * *

><p>"We're partnering with Darth?" Kurt asked, a little puzzled.<p>

All of the students, including Scott, Jean, and Jamie, and the teachers were assembled in the dining hall.

"Yes." Xavier answered. "Hopefully we can help more mutants, and possibly add more recruits. I think it's time again to recruit more mutants, and I think focusing on the local ones for now is a good start. If you haven't noticed already many new students transferred to Bayville High this year, and are continuing to come in; and many of these are mutants. Mr. Darth's polices on equality has attracted a lot of attention for mutants."

Ty raised his hand. "Uh, Professor Xavier, I know I'm not currently in school… or on staff" He added, looking at Beast and the other teachers. "…but could I help in some way? _¡Voy a estar loco!_I'm through with school, no job…" He pulled off his hood. "…I look like this," he pointed at his face, "_Please _tell me I can do **something!**"

Charles chuckled. "Of course, Tyler. You're welcome to help." He scanned everyone's faces. "The meetings will be every Friday after school, and if you are able I would like all of you to be there. Principal Darth will make an announcement tomorrow about it."

* * *

><p>"Come on everyone! We gotta leave…" Portia yelled in the common room, glancing down at her watch, "now!" She sighed, muttering to herself. "We're going to be so late."<p>

She was wearing a purple tank-top with a black jacket over top. A pair of glasses (one of those fake thick, black rimmed "hipster" glasses) rested on her face. They framed her face and eyes making her appear quite different than when she wasn't wearing them.

Sionnach was ready and sitting on the couch, absent-mindedly watching the television. His eyes kept looking at the entrance to the boys' hallway, he was waiting for Enrique.

Instead Xander walked out, looking miserable. He sniffed and started hacking like crazy.

"All dan, mayde I shouldn't go da school doday." He grumbled, weakly walking into the common room.

Zendi jumped down from her perch on the wall. "Woah there germy, go back to your room and lock the door. I'm _not_ getting sick."

Portia rolled her eyes. "I don't think locking the door will keep the germ from gettin' out. He's got the Flu!" She pointed back at the hallway. "Go back to your room though, no need for all of us to get sick."

"Actually, sneeze on me, will ya?" Sionnach called from his seat. "I do **not** want to go to school."

"That will just make you sick for the weekend." Enrique's calm voice said from behind the sick mutant. He placed a hand on Xander's shoulder. "You do not look well."

Xander rolled his eyes, his sick was an even paler shade than usual. "Danks…" He grumbled heading back to his room.

Rena walked in, trailed by Ash, in her human morph. She hated staying human for too long, but Darth insisted she shadow someone for a day and see if she liked it at Bayville High. If she had her way, she would continue at the Haven's homeschool.

"Where's Clay?" Rena asked, looking around and perking her ears up to try to detect some sound. "Wouldn't she be up by now?"

Enrique and Zendi looked at each other, the same slightly concerned countenances.

"We will check on her." The white-haired mutant stated, motioning to Zendi to follow.

The two walked down the opposing hall and stopped in front of Clay's door. Enrique made as to knock, but Zendi stayed his hand.

"Wait… Clay didn't have Digger over last night, did she?"

"What, why would…?" Enrique started, and then he shook his head. "Clay is not like that Zen." He proceeded to knock on the metal door, the clang echoing down the hall.

No one answered. Enrique shrugged and tried the door knob, surprisingly it wasn't unlocked.

The door swung open and the pair walked in carefully. They scanned the room quickly.

Clay was on her mat on the floor, still asleep. She was obviously not well; her face was covered in sweat, though she had no blankets on. Twitching a little she awoke with a start.

"W-what the hell are you doing in here?" She asked groggily, struggling to sit up. That action caused her to start to cough violently, with a groan she laid back down.

"It's time to leave for school, we were wondering why you weren't up." Zendi said.

"What?" Clay tried to spring up, but this time it caused her head to feel like it was splitting in two. Clutching it with both hands she leaned back against the wall. "G-give me a minute, I'll be up."

"No." Enrique said firmly. "You are going to stay here. You are sick."

"No, my father wants me there at the Xavier mutant… thingy…" She mumbled, her speech starting to slur.

"That's too bad." Zendi said. "You _will_ stay here or I'll drag your ass straight back here halfway through the day."

Clay groaned and looked at her friends. Her eyes were dulled way below their normal glow. "Fine… ACHOO!" She sneezed, and moaned. "Ugh… this is a terrible day."

Zendi chuckled a little as they backed out of the room. They walked back into the common room to several impatient mutants.

"Clay's sick too, so she's staying behind." Zendi said simply. "Let's jet."

Sionnach groaned, but stood. Enrique flashed him a smile and he became a lot more complacent.

"Shouldn't someone stay with Clay and Xander?" Portal asked.

"I volunteer as tribute!" Rena yelled. Anything to get her out of having to run around a school she didn't want to be at.

The others stared at her and then burst out laughing.

Zendi shrugged. "Go ahead; I'll let Darth know when we get there."

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah so it was a bit of revenge for all the times I was sick to infect Clay and Xander, and Ray... and Roberto. I'm evil like that.<strong>

Did anyone get that _Hunger Games_ allusion? Great, I couldn't help but put that in (even if I'm not a Hunger Games fan).

Next chapter: The actual mutant meeting, are the X-Men prepared to meet the Haven mutants on neutral ground? And just how many mutants are at Bayville High now? (*hint* most are Haven)

And I'm planning on going back and reviewing chapters so if you see or remember anywhere that has a typo (I was horrified at how many I found in the Kitsune chapter!) let me know and I'll fix it.


	24. Chapter 23: Promises Made

**Disclaimer: The X-Men and Brotherhood do not belong to me, but they belong to Marvel. The OCs featured are either mine or a reviews (check my profile for a full write-up)**

**Author's note: **Meh.

Haven't had the best week (one of the scenes spells out my life) and came down with writer's block when I got to the last portion. Not much to the meeting in this chapter, but it'll get better.

Some promises are made to keep, others undoubtedly to fail.

**Read. Enjoy. Review.**

* * *

><p>Darth stood by the large window in his office at Bayville High. The sky was graying with a promise of rain and the air outside was heavy with moisture. He thought back to the smell after it rained in his hometown, thinking how different it was from here in Bayville. The progress made in both places was also alarmingly different; perhaps equality could be achieved and the silly premonitions set aside.<p>

He was pulled out of his thoughts by a tapping on the door. Without turning he called for them to come in and watched the students mill about outside.

He saw Enrique Oculto and Portia Manderson side-by-side sitting on the steps. They seemed to be in deep conversation and they both looked up as the Xavier students walked by.

"Sir?"

Darth stifled a sigh and turned smiling. Two teenagers were in his office, both Haven affiliated.

"Ah, Miss Idnez, Mr. Fae… how nice to see you!" He said cheerfully. "Why don't you get the door Zendi?"

Zendi nodded and quietly shut the door before returning.

Darth extended his hands. "Please, sit."

His face slightly darkened as he took his own seat. "Mr. Fae, I know why you are here… but—"

Zendi sat forward in her chair and interrupted. "Clay and Xander came down with the Flu. Cla… Claire," Zendi paused, making sure she used Clay's human name now that she was in the school building, "is sorry she can't come to Xavier's first meeting." She stopped again, tapping her fingers on her leg. "Who do you want there and what do you want us to do?"

Darth straightened his dark purple tie and ran a hand over his jet black suit. "Everyone is to attend, even Enrique I have worked it out with the coaches to ensure and demand attendance of mutant athlete." He sweetened his tone. "You are there to learn, both about control from Proessor Xavier and as much about your fellow students as possible. I will make a point to the professor not to ask too many questions of you, but any possible security breach should be dealt with… delicately." He smiled at the girl. "I trust you can relay this information Zendi?"

The tan girl nodded. "Of course Mr. Darth. Oh, and Rena won't be shadowing anyone today, she stayed back to take care of the sick."

Darth chuckled. "Is that the only reason?"

Zendi pulled a face. "Probably not. Personally I don't think she can handle school and being human _all_ day."

The principal laughed again and sat back in his armchair. "You're probably right. I will talk to her when I get back." He paused. "If there is nothing else Miss Idnez…"

She got up and nodded. Silently she left the office, closing the door softly behind her.

Sionnach squirmed in his seat. Being alone with Darth freaked him out. The man was dark and his surroundings only proved a point. His eyes wandered the room.

"Mr. Fae." Darth said calmly, returning the fox mutaznt's attention back to him. His purple eyes met sionnach's gold, htough his reflective sunglasses stood in the way.

"I know this has been a tough couple of weeks for you, and I am happy to see you want to return to school."

Sionnach rolled his eyes and slouched in his chair. "Don't have much of a choice do I? It's either this or die of boredom."

Darth smirked. "I tend to get that response. Now, the school's dress code doesn't allow for sunglasses or hats, but I can make an exception for your glasses. The hat? It must go." He stated simply.

Sionnach frowned, but removed his blue baseball cap and shoved it in his bag. His fox ears poked up a above his maroon hair, which was tied low out of his face. His glasses glinted dangerously from the room's electric lights as he drummed his nails on the arm of the chair.

"Anything else? Are my socks breaking dress code too?"

The principal cracked a smile, he had long ago figured out how to deal with a student's poor attitude. "I don't know, are they green?"

The teen raised an eyebrow. "Green? Hell no! Why would they be green?"

"Just checkin'." Darth replied. He rummaged through his desk and pulled out a piece of paper.

"Here's your schedule, I can get someone to help you find your classes if you like."

"Nah, I'll manage." Sionnach said. He tried not to get angry at his schedule as he thought of the running and confusion in his future.

Darth frowned, his scar scrunching up. "Are you sure? Enrique Oculto has his first period free, but if you—"

"Enrique?" Sionnach asked to clarify, a tiny bubble of happiness surfacing. "Yes, I-uh mean… sure, th-that is if he ain't doin' anything already it couldn't hurt."

The dark man shook his head clear of Sionnach's confusing answer. "I pulled up your transcripts and since you already have most of your credits I also gave you a free first period." He smiled. "It's a major privilege to have, so don't blow it. Enrique can fill you in on what that means for you, but basically check in with attendance before the tardy bell and stay on school grounds." He stood and straightened his tie again. "I will call Mr. Oculto in here, and you can be on your way."

He moved toward the door then halted. "Oh, and your resemblance to a mutant in Arizona by the same name is purely coincidental. The staff won't ask you about it and I doubt any but the X-Men care." Darth turned the doorknob. "And," he said turning over his shoulder, "don't do anything stupid."

"No promises." The teen grumbled.

* * *

><p>Enrique watched as the Xavier bunch went by and groaned. Placing his head on Portia's shoulder he sighed.<p>

"What am I supposed to do Porsh?" He muttered, using her nickname that only he used.

Portia petted his head, making a few unruly white hairs lay down flat. "I don't really know, Ricky." She answered honestly. "You could always tell him, the worst he can say is 'no'."

The white-haired mutant sat up and buried his head in his hands. "I do not like this." He whispered. "The matters of the heart are far too painful."

The girl laid a hand on his back and sighed. "He's your friend, right?"

Enrique nodded, head still in his hands.

"And your gaydar is going off?" Portia asked, removing her hand and placing it in her lap.

The boy picked his head up and looked at her. "That is the problem." His deep blue eyes struggled to keep eye-contact. "I do not know."

Portia sighed, and took his large, strong hand in hers. "Some things are meant to be, while others are not…" She looked sadly at him, and again Enrique realized that Portia Manderson was in love with him. Her voice wavered as she continued. "…but we are the masters of our destiny. If you never take a chance, you will never know." Leaning over she kissed him on the cheek then stood. "Come on, we better head inside."

Enrique stood and forced her to make eye contact with him. He saw that a single tear glistened on her cheek. Taking his thumb he lifted her glasses and wiped it away.

"Portia Manderson, you are, and will always be my best friend. This I promise."

* * *

><p>"What the hell were you thinking, Kitty?" Kurt hissed as they made their way through the lunch line. "Lance? LANCE? The dude is an imbecile! How can you trust him?"<p>

Kitty ignored him until they sat down. With the larger number of students from the Institute the mutants now occupied several tables. A good thing that many still didn't want to associate with mutants so they always got their tables.

Rogue raised an eyebrow as Kitty sat down, leaving a seat empty in between her and her former roommate.

"Is there somethin' wrong?" Rogue asked.

Kurt scowled and pointed a finger at his sister. "Da. Did you know Kitty was seeing Lance?"

Rogue glanced quickly from Kitty to Kurt. The rest of their table was sitting down at this point. Benj sat on Rogue's right, followed by Vince and Leo. Amanda sat next to Kurt. All of the new arrivals were unsuspecting.

Rogue cleared her throat. "Ah, uh, may have known a little 'bout it."

Kurt threw his hands up. "Has the vhole vorld gone mad?" He grumbled something in German and shoved a roll into his mouth.

Vince laughed, sending a few shivers down the other's backs. "Okay, I obviously missed something." He gestured at Kurt. "What did you do to the elf?"

Leo and Benj were equally bewiledered and exchanged looks.

Before anyone could respond or ask another question another teen came up to the table behind Kitty.

"Uh, hi Kitty…" Lance said, awkwardly waving his hand to everyone else at the talbe. "Do you mind if I sit here?"

"Of course not Lance." Kitty replied, shooting a death glance at Kurt when he opened his mouth.

Lance placed his tray down and sat in between Rogue and Kitty. His actions got the attention of the Brotherhood and other X-Men tables.

"Another good mutant gone to waste." Pietro muttered darkly before tuning back to his lunch.

Lance nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "Heh… so. Uh hi. How's everyone doin'?"

Leo blinked at him. "Aren't… aren't you Brotherhood?"

"Yeah, what of it?" Lance asked quickly, putting on his street face.

Leo held up his hands and laughed. "Nothing, nothing… just, I didn't recognize you without the fruit bowl on your head."

Benj laughed too, and Rogue couldn't help but snort. Kurt scowled some more and shoved more food in his face.

A cool smile spread across Lance's face. "Cute."

Vince leaned in over the table. "Aren't you gonna introduce us, Miss Pryde?" He had started sitting at the table that week after people started calling him a "mutie lover". He'd smiled and proved them correct.

"Yeah, like, sure." Kitty replied. "Like, everyone this is Lance Alvers, my boyfriend." She ignored the gagging sound from Kurt and the weird looks from Benj and Leo. "And Lance, you already know Rogue," she pointed to each in turn, "Benj Dents, Vince Bohr, Leo Dyson, and Amanda." Kurt stuffed in more food as Kitty rolled her eyes. "And of course Kurt."

She whispered in Lance's ear. "Benj and Rogue are, like, going out."

Lance's eyes widened and he smiled. It looked like someone had finally manned up and taken Rogue for a spin.

"Vhat do you want anyways?" Kurt grumbled. Amanda took his arm and whispered something to him. Frowning he gestured at Leo's plate. Leo got the memo and tossed him his roll.

Lance looked across the table at him. "Is there anything wrong with talkin' to my girl?"

Kurt narrowed his eyes. "No."

Kitty put a hand on Lance's leg and he relaxed. Kurt was just being an over protective brother, older or younger he didn't know.

"S, uh… Lance, are you comin' with to the mutant club after school?" Leo asked, trying to alleviate the tension. He knew what it was like to be the negative center of attention and felt kind of bad for him. There appeared to be more under the surface than what lance appeared to be during their brawls.

Lance shook his head. "Nah, Magneto and Xavier don't exactly see eye-to-eye, I can only imagine how he'd react if I went."

The spikey haired mutant nodded and returned to scarfing his lunch.

Most of the rest of lunch went by in a tense silence. That is until Vince's attention was dragged aside by a girl walking past.

"Woah…" He muttered, watching her past. It was Portia Manderson, making her way to her table.

Benj followed his gaze, puzzled by the girl with wavy hair and purple streaks. "Dude, you have a girlfriend."

Vince ran a hand through his short hair. "I **had** a girlfriend. Turns out Ray was right, she only chose me cuz I wasn't a mutie- err, mutant. She was easily swayed from me…" He sighed and leaned back in the chair. "Anyone know that girl anyways?"

Kitty turned her head and looked. "Oh, that's Portia Manderson. She's, like, in my Spanish class."

Leo and Rogue looked as well. Both narrowed their eyes. Rogue thought she possibly recognized her, but couldn't place it. She really did look familiar…

"She's hot, is she seein' anyone?" Vince said, still in his teenage boy mentality.

"How should I know?" Kitty shrugged. "I, like, don't actually talk to her, you know? She keeps mostly to herself, but, like, I've seen her with that Enrique Oculto a few times."

Vince tore his eyes away and looked at his watch. "Damn, too bad; and it's about time to go too."

As the bell rang to leave Lance grabbed Kurt's arm, and pulled him aside.

"Listen, I care about Kitty." He growled as students swarmed around them. " I don't give a damn what you think about me, but I'm not goin' ta hurt her. I promise."

* * *

><p>Tyler pulled on a black polo and fixed the collar in the mirror. His red skin was accented more than usual. He looked down on the dresser and found the wax Kurt had given him. Taking a glob of it he rubbed it over his head and on his horns. The light shone off of them and he smiled, hiding his teeth. Maybe it wouldn't be that bad, exposing himself in public.<p>

Even still… he grabbed the image inducer and slipped it on over his wrist. Tyler hesitated on pressing the button.

There was knock on the door.

"Come on in, it's unlocked." He said, still looking at the watch-like device, trying to decide if he wanted to use it or not.

The professor rolled through the door, followed by Storm.

"Almost ready to go?"

"Yes professor… just…" He looked up at the man in the wheel chair.

Xavier smiled, knowing just what he was going to ask. "You want to know whether or not you should wear your image inducer, right?"

"Well, yeah…"

"Tyler, do whatever makes you feel most comfortable." The professor said calmly.

Storm spoke up. "Perhaps it would be best to wear the hologram. It might make the new students more at ease."

Ty nodded. "Good point, a bright red demon is a little unsettling." He turned the image inducer on and his appearance shimmered. Instantly his skin took on a normal tint, and light brown hair covered his head. "So as far as staff goes, who's coming?" He thought about how it could be funny if Logan came and scared the kids off right away.

Charles chuckled at Tyler's inner thoughts. "Logan is staying here, but Scott is coming back from college classes to assist. Beast and Storm will also be there, and obviously so will I."

"What can I do to help?" Ty asked, brushing off his shirt.

Professor X smiled. "Here's what I have in mind…"

* * *

><p>The bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. Students rushed out of classrooms and ran through the hallways. A couple made excuses to stay after, they were mutants.<p>

Sionnach grumbled his way to his locker. He hated this "mutant" thing. People jabbed fun at him all day, pointing out his tail, his ears, his nails, and his shades. A lot continuously asked him if he was like some "Scott Summers", whoever the hell that was.

Slamming his fist into the metal locker, he spun the lock and flung it open. He grabbed his math book and shoved it into his backpack. He turned slightly, watching a girl approach the locker next to him. He rolled his eyes, shutting his locker, and leaning up against it.

Portia nodded to him and opened up her locker. "How's it going?"

"This place sucks, why would anyone willingly choose to go to school as a mutant?" Sionnach grumbled.

Portia twitched and slammed her locker shut. She opened her mouth to say something when another group of mutants came up behind her.

_The Brotherhood._

"Hey," Blob muttered, turning to the other Brotherhood members, "don't we know this guy?"

"Hmmm, he do look familiar." Toad said, hopping closer to Sionnach.

The fox mutant snarled and pushed him away. "Watch it mutie!"

"Do you numbskulls have something better to do?" Portia asked, whirling around and facing the Brotherhood.

Wanda narrowed her eyes. "For once, The Blob is right."

"Whaaat?" Toad gasped. "There ain't no way—" He examined the two mutants in front of him. The one with the angular features and fox additions did look familiar… and the one with purple streaks in her hair… "eek!" He shrieked, clinging to Wanda. "Save me baby! I don't wanna take another bath!"

"Get off of me you moron!" Wanda shouted, prying Toad off and flinging him away.

Pietro pointed a finger at the two Haven mutants, recognizing them. "You two were some of them that attacked us. What are you playin' at?"

Portia shrugged. "You got it wrong kid. Now if you don't mind, we have somewhere to be." She grabbed Sionnach by the arm and turned to walk down the hall.

"We ain't done yet!"

"Sure we are…" Portia whispered, opening her palm. She smiled as she heard Toad shriek as he fell through the portal that opened beneath his feet.

Sionnach frowned. "You aren't supposed to do that!" He growled. Mutants using their powers willy-nilly. _Despicable_.

"Shhh, shut up. Now although we're meeting the rest of the squad, we have to act like we only know each other…" She whispered. "Well, and Enrique, we've been seen enough together." Her voice caught for a second, causing the other teen to wonder what that meant.

She stopped suddenly before a classroom door. "Well, now or never." Portia sighed, wrenching it open.

Inside was an already large crowd of mutants. Nearly all of the X-Men were in there, and the Haven mutants were scattered all over the room, only Rena, Clay, and Xander were missing; but besides the known were the unknown. At least ten unnamed mutants stood toward the back, or in sections away from the other chatty groups.

The teen with maroon hair raised an eyebrow. There were a lot of students who were mutants, it appeared.

A bald man at the front sat in a wheel chair, and to his sides were older mutants. Sionnach grimaced. It was Charles Xavier; no doubt he would recognize him. Grudgingly he took a seat at a desk by Portia, who waved Cloak over to them. Sionnach's face brightened a little.

Scott watched calmly as more and more mutants walked in. The meeting was to start in a few minutes. He raised an eyebrow as Sionnach Fae walked in the door. He turned suddenly to the professor.

'_Is that—?'_

'_Yes.' _Xavier interrupted Scott's mental question. The older mutants serving as teachers were already connected mentally. _'It's Sionnach Fae.'_

'_Should we ask him—?' _Scottbegan again.

'_No.' _Ty interjected firmly. _'The kid may have gotten himself into trouble, but he's here to make a fresh start. He wouldn't be in Bayville if he meant only to cause trouble.'_

Xavier glanced over at the disguised red mutant. _'Tyler is right Scott. We should give him a fair shot, and perhaps he will uncover some answers about this mysterious Haven.'_

The professor looked at the clock, it was three o'clock exactly, now was a good time to start.

"Hello, and welcome to the first mutant power control club. Please, take a seat." Professor Xavier paused long enough for the teenagers to sit. He smiled. "I'm sorry we don't have a nifty name for this club, perhaps you guys can help me think of one." Several kids chuckled. "Now, I am Professor Charles Xavier. I will be in charge of this club, and will work with all of you personally and in groups. My helpers here are-" he extended his hand to his left where Storm was standing.

"I am Ororo Munroe, I will be one of your power advisors." Storm said. "I believe Benj can tell you how that goes." She said, smiling.

Benj nodded. "Ms. O's awesome."

Scott introduced himself. "I'm Scott Summers, I used to go to school here but now I attend a local community college. I'm one of the professor's oldest and longest students. I won't be here all the time, but when I am I can show you how to practically use your powers." He shrugged. "Just don't hassle me about my shades and we'll get along fine."

Now it was Tyler's turn. He looked shyly into the audience. "I guess I'm next… I'm Tyler Dyson, but I also go by Ty or Spades. I haven't been with Xavier for that long, but seeing as I had nothing else to do…" He smiled. "I get the negative effects of powers, and can help you guys with that."

Xavier nodded. "Now I know a lot of you are part of the Institute, but many of you are not. Let's take a moment to introduce ourselves, and if you want, say your power." He looked at Leo, who sat in the front off to the side. "Leo, do you mind starting?"

"Sure!" He grinned. "_Hola__. Me __llamo__ Leo Dyson._ I have a form of shape-shifting that allows me to turn into a lion humanoid. I also have enhanced senses and an advanced healing factor." Leo stood and flicked his tail. "Oh! And I have a nifty tail!" He laughed.

They continued around the room in similar fashion. The Haven mutants answered cautiously, a few simply passing on mentioning their powers. Some of the unknown mutants simply said their name as well and added something like, "I don't really know what my full powers are."

One girl with long, straight jet black hair, a black T-shirt and skinny jeans merely shrugged when it came to her. "I'm Julian Hans. I can make flowers." She stated dully.

The introductions finished up with Enrique Oculto, and the professor took over again.

"Thank you, all of you. I will separate you into four groups and we can work a little more personally with you right now, and just get to know you." The professor stated. "If it's okay with your parents you are to practice small exercises at home that we give you. If not, we will work something out." He smiled and divided the room, mixing the Institute students in with the others.

In the professor's group were Leo, Rogue, Zendi, Portia, Sionnach, the new Julian Hans, and another new mutant. He smiled as they gathered chairs into a rough circle.

As the clatter in the room died down, he nodded to the other leaders to begin.

"Does anyone want give us a demonstration of their powers?" The professor asked.

"What about you, Professor Xavier?" Portia asked. "You didn't tell us what your power was."

Charles smiled. "So I did not. I am a telepath."

'_Meaning I can speak mind-to-mind.'_ He added telepathically. A few of them grimaced, but Zendi didn't react at all.

"Sir, I can show them a sample of my power." Zendi suggested. She was growing bored, and climbing on the walls would spend some of her growing energy.

"Go for it!" Leo grinned, flashing his canines.

Zendi complied. She walked over to the wall behind the professor and began to scale it. She then crawled across the ceiling back to the circle and stood upside-down.

"Tada!" She cheered, before flipping down.

"Thank you for that example. How is everyone's control?" The professor asked. None of the new guys were willing to share so Leo started.

"Well, I guess mine is better than it was—" Leo started.

Rogue snorted. "Ya guess? Ya tried ta kill us… repeatedly."

"Meh, it happens." Leo shrugged. When the newer mutants gave him freaked out looks he explained. "My powers are partially based on animal instinct and if you don't know what you're doin' you can really hurt someone. I had an inner lion to tame, and I'm still working on it."

"Not all mutations are good," Rogue said. "Ah hafta wear gloves and clothin' ovah mah skin or risk hurtin' othahs." She shrugged. "Ya get used to it."

Zendi guessed it was her turn. "I've had some time to work on mine… so I suppose they're under control… but I'd love to see what else I could do with them." She added excitedly.

Portia sat back in her chair. "I'll pass for now."

Xavier raised an eyebrow and gently pricked her mind. His eyes widened as he discovered who she was, but it was not the time to point it out. He would just have to keep a closer eye on her.

Julian Hans was next. She simply opened her hand and a small daisy grew out of it. Rolling her eyes she crushed it. "That's all I can do, at least as far as I know."

The other new mutant just set his hands a glow then shrugged, saying he had no idea what he was doing.

Then all the eyes in the group turned to Sionnach.

He was lounging back in his chair and barely mustered up a look of interest. "Yeah, I got powers. I don't use 'em though. Mutants are criminals and freaks." Portia elbowed him hard in the ribs, causing him to snarl and snap at her. "Watch it!"

Portia fought the itch to open a portal above and below him and watch him fall repeatedly from the ceiling through the floor. Instead she met what she assumed was his eyes (it was hard to tell behind the glasses).

"Watch yourself Foxy." Portia growled back.

"Stop." Xavier said with authority, the two mutants turned and looked at him. He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples for a second. "I don't know what you two have against each other, but put it aside. You are here to make progress with your powers, and to find new friendships. Promise me you will stop."

Portia and Sionnach grudgingly turned away from each other and muttered promises.

Somewhat satisfied Xavier continued. "What happened to decrease your outlook on mutants, Sionnach?"

The boy debated answering. Finally he did. "My dad wasn't a big fan of mutants."

Xavier nodded. "How do everyone else's parents handle the fact that you're mutants?" He looked around at the group.

Portia squirmed under the professor's gaze. "My parents don't know." She said suddenly, then instantly regretted it. Of course her family didn't know! She'd left before the big mutant reveal.

Silently cursing herself she met the professor's eyes. They crinkled around the edges in mild humor. She realized he was reading her mind and the cursing got worse. At this point he actually chuckled a little.

"We'll work out a way for you to practice your powers." He said. "You could come by the Institute tomorrow and we can see what we are working with."

Portia nervously flared her hands and a portal opened under her chair.

"Damn it!" She yelled, falling through the floor, chair and all.

The teens sat forward to look at the bare floor where she had been. Leo and Rogue exchanged knowing glances. Zendi closed her eyes in agitation. Maybe it was a good thing Darth was making them attend, they still needed some work.

Seconds later a portal opened behind the professor with a very unhappy Portia walking through. This caught the whole room's attention.

"Sorry about that…" She grumbled, wanting to wipe the smirk from Sionnach's face. "Sometimes…" Portia stopped. "I've been having a bad day, okay?"

Xavier frowned, a little bewildered. "Come by tomorrow."

* * *

><p>The rest of the meeting went by without accident. The professor documented the powers of the new mutants, and made arrangements to meet with several of them.<p>

"Now I know we didn't do a whole bunch this week, but next week we will look at some control techniques many of my students have found helpful." The professor paused. "If you need anything during the week, you can either call or come to the Institute, or send word through Principal Darth and I can come meet with you."

As the students gathered their things he made one more comment. "And try not to get into any trouble."

* * *

><p><strong>So? What ya think?<strong>

**Expect a delay on updates for D-Factor, I'm going to work on the Rena/Fenris chapter for Havens Chronicles (so beware AvengedVeralin, I may be PMing you soon). And I really need to go back and perfect edit some chapters so that might take a little while. I'm getting close to the breaking point of D-Factor, but don't worry, the story keeps going afterwards.**

**Also if you haven't noticed there's this whole new "picture" thing that goes up with your stories now. I'm not much of an artist but I can slap something together. Anyone have any ideas/suggestions? I'm at a loss here.**

**Finally, special thanks to San child of the wolves, who's working along with me on Julian Hans.**

**~Keep writing strong.**


	25. Chapter 24: Haunted

**Disclaimer: As usual, I don't own the X-Men, Marvel does. OCs are mine or my reviewers!**

**Author's note: **Wait a minute... this is done... EARLY?

Yeah I ran into some writer's block working on the Rena chapter (no worries, I'm still trying on it) and then all of a sudden the storyline for chapter 24 started writing in my head and I couldn't ignore it. Thanks to HMaster who's idea inspired this chapter.

Also this chapter is the beginning of less _visible_ Haven members (at least for a little while), meaning there won't be as much from their view.

**Enjoy. Read. Review.**

* * *

><p>A dark purple portal opened up in front of the television in the Haven's common room. The group of mutants spilled out and fell on top of each other. The three mutants on the couch, Rena, Nico, and Xander, stared at the new arrivals.<p>

"I swear, Portal, if you don't take your elbow outa my side I'm gonna—"

"Oh shut up Fox-face, your knee is digging into _my _kidney!" Portal muttered, shoving the boy off of her.

The mutants untangled themselves and stood. Sionnach and Portal glared at each other, before the boy turned to leave.

"I'll be in my room so if anyone needs me, **don't**." He growled, storming off.

Portal shook herself off and began walking toward her room. "Ditto, I need to meditate or somethin'…"

Zendi shrugged and plopped down in an armchair. Cloak and Ash followed suit.

"So whatcha watchin'?" Zendi asked, leaning forward and looking at the television.

Nico answered. "Star Wars marathon."

"Sweet!" Zendi cheered. She raised an eyebrow at Xander. "Aren't you… sick?"

The black-haired boy shrugged. "Was. Apparently only a cold, I feel much better."

Rena barked, getting Zendi's attention. "Jed's in, Clay hasn't been getting better."

The tan girl frowned and stood. "What do you mean?"

"She means that your leader has the worst immune system I've ever seen." A male voice said, coming from the end of the girls' hallway. Jed walked forward and locked eyes with Zendi. "Answer me honestly; has she been getting any sleep?"

Nico muted the television and all the mutants in the room turned to Jed.

"I, I can't say for sure." Zendi said softly, her concern showing. "We've been doing border patrol for the past few days…"

"No, it would have to be longer than just a few days of no sleep." Jed interrupted with politeness. "Your immune system needs sleep to recharge, to protect, but hers… it's fragile, weak. She definitely has the Flu, but she's not doing well fighting it. Has she been under a lot of stress as well?"

"Yes." All of the squad in the room answered. Everyone knew how hard Clay worked, and that she always ran on high no matter what.

Jed frowned, and his iris-lacking eyes narrowed. "I will speak to Darth personally about this. Your job is to make sure she doesn't do anything… Clay-like… for the next few days. And avoid putting her under any sort of stress."

"Gotcha." Zendi said. Jed nodded and walked out. The girl looked at the mutants in the room. "We need to keep a constant eye on her, so she doesn't do anything stupid, because we all know she'll try." They laughed nervously, trying to get Clay not to do something was like wrestling an alligator.

Portal was watching from the shadows of the hallway and slunk back as the others talked about a system to keep Clay under surveillance. She couldn't afford to tell Clay about what happened at the meeting. She'd acted rashly and drew more attention to herself than they wanted. No doubt the professor already knew what and who she was. That and she used her powers in the school building outside of the power-approved meeting. Darth would be having a talk with her on that, no doubt.

She groaned and leaned her head back on the cold stone wall.

"And Portal?" Zendi called, turning to where Portal was standing, a slight smirk on her face that said she knew she was there the whole time.

"Let's not tell Clay. There's no reason she needs to know you're going to the Xavier Institute."

Portal nodded and actually went into her room this time.

"Speaking of which, we can't let her go alone." Xander spoke up. As all eyes turned to him he rubbed the back of his neck shyly. "I mean… er…"

"I will keep an eye on her." Enrique spoke up. He flashed a smile. "_Profesor_ Xavier said I was welcome there anytime."

Rena snorted. "So you're going to just _watch_ Portal? Doesn't that seem suspicious?"

The white-haired boy frowned. "Well… I… uh… I will be nearby."

Rena and Enrique continued to argue, but an idea struck Xander. He stood up and started walking to his room. He'd have to test it out first, but it would probably work.

"Uh, Xander? Where are you going?" Zendi asked, as the argument slowed.

He paused and tilted his head slightly back. "Idea, the X-Men are in for a surprise."

* * *

><p>"Students," Professor X said to catch their attention. It was at dinner on the same Friday the first mutant meeting at school was. All of the students and faculty were gathered at the large table, they had all finished eating, but the professor had an announcement to make. "Tomorrow, starting at seven, new students will begin arriving for lessons. I know since it's a Saturday many of you would rather stay in bed, but I would like it if you would be up and ready to help if need be." He smiled, his eyes crinkling. "If, of course, you would still prefer not to be awake, please stay in your rooms until you're dressed. We don't want to scare these new students away." Many of the mutants in the room laughed.<p>

"I think he's talking to you Rogue." Kurt teased, leaning over the table and laughing at her.

Rogue stuck her finger out at him. "Ah would watch it if Ah were ya, Kurt. Ya are no more of a morning person than Ah am. Yar blue fur is a horrah to see in the morning."

Kurt feigned hurt and sank back in his chair amidst more laughter.

"Alright, alright, the professor's not done." Logan growled, silencing the room.

"Some of the mutants are most likely Haven affiliated." The professor said, turning much more serious. "I know we haven't had the best of times with them but everyone is to give them an open mind. On the flip side, everyone should be ready for trouble. So I would—" Charles stopped suddenly and frowned.

Several of the kids shivered and a few looked around confused. Xavier extended his mind out into the room. He sensed a presence there, but it left quickly as he scanned the room. He and Storm made eye contact, both with the same worried look in their eyes.

Xavier recovered quickly, shaking his head. "As I was saying, again I would like it if everyone was at least awake and ready for anything." Everyone nodded. "Alright, that's it, you may leave."

In the scrapping of chairs and low voices Scott pulled Jean aside, both of whom were back for the weekend. "I want to get the main X-Men team together tomorrow so we can compare some of the new profiles against what we know of the Haven mutants."

"Do you think we can identify them?" Jean asked, as the room emptied around them.

"I think so, we already know of Sionnach Fae and I've talked with the professor… Portia Manderson, the first mutant who comes tomorrow, is Portal." Scott answered. "Plus, who doesn't love a puzzle?"

* * *

><p>Portal stepped out in front of an apartment door. She double checked the room number. <em>7C, great.<em> She knocked tentatively.

"Who issss there?" A voice hissed from the other side.

"It's me Seth."

The door cracked open and a scaly hand pulled her in. Seth Severus was on the other side of the door and he closed it quickly. He was dressed in a tan Zoo uniform that had a little star by the name tag. His forked tongue flicked out of his mouth as he looked at Portal with mild distaste.

"So, how are you fitting in here Seth?" Portal asked, trying to diffuse the tension.

Darth had begun to approve the relocation of some of the oldest mutants at the Haven, that is, if they wished. Some wanted to make a life outside the place that helped them out when they were younger, others wanted to supply funding for the struggling training housing, and it was also nice to have jump-off points for some mutants would needed to stay in the cities overnight. Clay came up with the idea after Seth had mentioned to her how hard it was to keep his cover at the Bayville Zoo when he had to be teleported there every day.

Seth motioned to his surroundings, the apartment was nearly bare, but was adequate as far as living quality went. As the Dysons knew, it could be hard to find apartment complexes that would allow mutants.

"I am working on it." He said, his deep voice rumbling. "It would be easssier if Jaller would _lay off_. He hasss made it difficult for me to get back to the Haven."

Portal nodded. She hadn't seen Seth around in a while. "You can give me a lift to the Xavier Institute right? I mean we talked about it yesterday, but I'm just checkin' again."

Seth nodded and glanced at his watch. It was about 6:45. "The professssor sssaid you could be there ssso early?"

"Yes, a variety of new students are stopping by today, and I got the earlest slot, because I know you can't be late for work."

Seth nodded. "Come on, before the other tenantsss begin to wake up."

The two walked out of his apartment and out into the parking lot. A run down silver Malibu sat closest to the building. They piled into it, Portal trying not to laugh. It was a somewhat comical sight to see Seth, who was so tall and lanky, try to squeeze into such a small car.

But again, they took what they could get.

They drove off in silence, and then Seth brought up the question.

"What happened yesssterday? You weren't sssupposssed to draw attention to yourssself!"

Portal clicked her tongue and sat on her hands. "I had a bad day, I was distracted."

Seth frowned and glanced quickly at Portal then back at the road. "Your powersss aren't controlled by emotion. Thisss issn't like you Portal. You had your powersss under control I thought!"

"So did I…" Portal muttered. "I… I don't know what happened Seth."

"Enrique messsssed with your head again, didn't he?" Seth said, as they turned a corner.

"Maybe, listen let's talk about something else. How's it at the zoo?" Portal asked, watching the city buildings go by.

Seth shrugged. "It'sss okay. Mr. Walkman, the guy in charge, wantsss me to call Leo Dyssson and bring him back." A faint smile etched itself across his reptilian face. "It ssshould be good. Everyone missssess ssseeing him around."

"Popular for a mutant, isn't he?" Portal laughed as they pulled up alongside the Institute. "Thank you so much Seth, for giving me a ride." She pushed the car door open and hopped out. He nodded and pulled away.

Taking a deep breath, the girl walked up to the gates.

_Here we go._

Portal examined the control panel and pressed a button she hoped was something like a doorbell. A low tone sounded, and she stood there, waiting.

* * *

><p>Leo's face was buried deep into his pillow. His and Benj's room faced east, so the sunlight spilled in early in the mornings. He grunted and tried to ignore the blazing beams of light. Finally he felt himself slipping back into sleep when a buzzing sounded from under his pillow.<p>

He groaned and pulled his phone out from underneath the fabric. He rubbed his eyes, trying to get the blurriness to go away so he could see who was calling him so early on a Saturday.

As his vision swam and straightened out he saw a name he wasn't expecting.

_Seth Severus._

Leo jumped up and answered his phone. "Hello?"

Benj moaned at the sudden sound and rolled over, his head at the foot of his bed. Leo rolled his eyes and ignored him.

"Ahhh, Leo. How are you?" Seth's voice sounded over the phone.

"I-I'm good, sir."

"Ssss. Don't call me sssir, Leo. We've been over thissss."

"Right, right… I… uh…" Leo muttered, clearing his throat. "What, er, is it?"

"Well, I'm on my way to work right now, and Mr. Walkman wanted me to ssssend you a call. I jussst wanted to let you know he may call you later, he wantsss you to return to the zoo."

"He… he says I can come back?" Leo asked excitedly, his voice growing loud. Benj sat bolt upright and glared at his brother. The lion mutant held a finger to his lips and mouthed the word: _zoo._ Benj's eyes widened.

"I sssaid he _wantsss_ you to come back. He makesss the call on when." Seth stressed.

Leo sat back down hard on his bed and stared dumbfounded at the ground. He honestly had started to lose hope of ever returning to the zoo, and the fact that he now might possibly return made him shake. As great as it was at the Institute, he really loved the zoo. Plus he was running low on animal sketches, there were only so many times you could draw squirrels and birds.

"Leo? Are you ssstill there?"

The teen shook his head out and nodded. When he realized Seth couldn't see him nod, he said yes. "So… I just wait for Mr. Walkman's call then?"

"Pretty much. Lisssten, I've gotta go, traffic isss getting nasssty. Sssee you ssssoon I hope." _Click._

Leo blinked at his brother, his phone still up to his face.

Benj ran a hand through his hair. "Was that your boss at the zoo?"

"Yeah… it was…" Leo muttered. He got that insane smile. "Hey, Xavier wants us up and ready. Better get on that!"

"Heck no!" Benj shouted, flopping back down. "I'm gonna hide in bed until I'm forced to get up."

Leo laughed, but figured there was no getting him up. He dressed and went down to the kitchen to grab some breakfast.

As usual Logan and Kitty were the only ones in there, Leo was learning though. Unlike his first day, he slowly opened the door and did his best not to knock it back into the wall. He nodded at Logan, who was sitting against the window sill with the paper and a coffee mug. The gruff man nodded back silently and went back to reading the newspaper.

Kitty was typing up a storm on her laptop, writing another letter to her parents, trying to convince them she wasn't getting into trouble. With growing mutant racism, they were worried.

_No worries Mom and Dad. I'm doing my best to not get in trouble, and haven't run into any trouble at school. I just mentioned the three new students in my last e-mail, but I'd like to tell you a little more because I'm sure you're curious._

_Leo, Benj (yes Benj, he says Benjamin is too formal, and Ben is not enough), and Tyler are great most of the time._

_Benj has a knack for getting in trouble, but he's a nice guy. He's a little quiet at times, but he's caught the attention of my old roommate Rogue. They're dating now. He's got some cool powers; he's like an airbender from Avatar: The Last Airbender and he has some telepathic powers like the professor._

_Leo is an interesting guy. He had a hard time at home, but he's trying to start fresh here at the Institute. I guess you could say he's the point the Institute exists, he's like the poster child for mutants in trouble. If you remember what I've said about Mr. Logan, Leo is kinda like a younger version of him… only with a sense of humor that isn't painful._

_Tyler is a bit difficult; he's faced prosecution at work and was fired. Normally he's almost silent in the background, but he's been getting rough and in your face now. We're all a little worried about him, but I think Kurt got through to him. He's into those killing video games like Bobby, but when he plays the other boys all cry. He kicks their butts._

_Other than that, nothing's really been going on. Xavier started up a program with the public school where we work with other mutants there who don't actually live here. It's a neat idea, but I have no idea if it'll work._

_Until Something Crazy Happens,_

_-Kitty._

By the time she was done typing and sent it off, Leo had sat next to her.

"Morning."

"Like, yeah." Kitty said, her cheerfulness there even bright and early. She frowned slightly, she'd meant to tell her parents a little about the Haven mutants that had been causing them trouble, but for some reason she backed off. She shrugged it off and turned to Leo. "So, like, what are you doing up so early?"

He shrugged, but his excitement was nearly bursting out of him. As Kitty started to shrug he burst. "I got a call from the zoo."

The younger girl raised an eyebrow and glanced from him to Logan. "Really?"

"Yeah! Seth says that my boss might call sometime today to let me know." Leo grinned.

Logan looked up from his paper. "That the same _Seth_ that attacked Storm?" He snarled a little at the end.

Leo looked confused like he couldn't quite remember. "Oh, yeah… I forgot about that."

"Well that's… nice…" Logan growled. As soon as he said it all three of them looked bewildered. The gruff man couldn't believe what just came out of his mouth. He snarled and looked around, expecting something out of the ordinary. Nothing.

Kitty and Leo exchanged looks that said: "I can't believe he just said that." The two glanced suspiciously at the man.

"You… feelin' alright Logan?" Leo asked skeptically. Something was very off, his crystal was freaking out, vibrating in his chest.

He frowned and rubbed his neck. "Possibly, I gotta find Chuck."

The two teens watched him leave.

"That was…"

"…Out of character…"

* * *

><p>Xavier was already out on the lawn when Portal came up to the gates. He watched as Storm welcomed the girl in and brought her up to him.<p>

"Good morning Miss Manderson." Xavier said, smiling. "I thought you might rather have the lesson outside."

The girl shrugged. "Fine with me."

Storm shook off the weird feeling she got as she remembered the night she first saw Portal. Subconsciously she touched the scar now on her shoulder where the snake-man bit.

"So, is that just a fashion statement, or what?" Portal asked of Storm.

The woman looked down at her and smiled. She was wearing her uniform and hadn't thought much about it. "It is my uniform, child."

Portal shrugged and turned back to the man in the wheelchair. "What did you have in mind?"

* * *

><p>Scott began knocking on the eldest X-Men's doors at about 7:30, trying to round them up. This resulted in several slammed doors, curses, and one event of being slammed into the wall. In Scott's defense, he didn't know Benj was such an anti-morning person, especially when the person waking him was only looking for his brother.<p>

Finally the unrelenting X-Man got the team together in the conference room in the basement not far from Cerebro. It was a completely metal room with a metal table and chairs in the center. Scott stood at one of the heads with a folder and the rest of the team was assembled around the table; Jean, Rogue, Kitty, Kurt, and Leo. Scott also invited Tyler to join them since he'd fought against and beside the Haven mutants.

"So why exactly are we here?" Kurt asked. "Not that I don't enjoy being up so early on a Saturday." He laughed nervously.

"I figured we could figure out who we're up against." Scott said, placing his folder down. "I got some photos from Cerebro of the Haven mutants. I didn't get one of all of them though, I thought Leo could help with some sketches."

The said mutant shrugged. "Sure, got my pencil and sketchpad right here." He pulled a pencil out from behind his ear and his sketchpad from his pocket. "Which one you wanna see? I'll try to sketch while you guys look at the first few."

"Clay Dune." Scott said simply. Leo nodded, no surprise there. "I also got the photos of the mutants who came to the first Xavier meeting at school." He spread a variety of photos across the table, some were blurry action shots, while others were school photos.

"Let's start with what we know." Jean said, pulling two photos out. They were both of Sionnach Fae. "We know that this mutant is known as Kitsune as well."

"Greeeat." Rogue said, rolling her eyes. "We know the one we saw leave is who he really is."

Jean ignored her comment and went on. She placed the photos off to the side and picked up one of a girl with purple streaks in her dark brown hair. "So we know this is a mutant called Portal."

Leo reached into the middle and fished out a photo of Portia Manderson with matching streaks in her hair. "Has to be her." He said simply before returning to sketching.

Rogue looked at the photo. "Yeah, this is her. She's the one who can open portals. She basically proved that at the meetin'."

"Like, two down…" Kitty said, picking up another action photo. This one was of a pale boy with a gray hoodie with its hood up. His hair wasn't visible, but his eyebrows were solid black, his eyes blue, and his cheeks a little dimpled. Kitty raised her eyebrows. "I haven't seen this guy before."

Tyler reached across the table and looked at the picture. "Hmmm, this guy was at the Sionnach recruitment, but I haven't seen him since." He felt as though a shadow fell over him for a second and on impulse he let heat escape from his fingertips. Flames quickly grew and swallowed the picture. "Ack!" He gasped, dropping the smoldering ruins of the former eight by eleven piece of paper.

"Aw man, Ty, you torched it!" Kurt groaned.

The red skinned mutant frowned and rubbed his hand over his jeans wiping the ashes off. "I… _Lo siento… No… no sé por qué…_" In his confusion he switched to Spanish, causing the others to frown.

Leo translated as Ty continued to mutter in Spanish, still sketching out Clay in his notebook. "He says he's sorry, he doesn't know why he let the paper burn. He says something told him to." A tiny glimmer of a smile spread across his face. "And now he can't make the switch back to English. He'll just do charades then." Leo chuckled.

Ty glared at his younger brother. "_Lo puedo hacer._" (I can do it) When Leo laughed and didn't translate Tyler sighed. He pointed at himself and made a silence motion and pointed back at Leo. It wasn't the same translation, but it got his point across.

"What do you mean, he can't, like, make the switch to English." Kitty asked, as confused as everyone else.

"I don't know, ask Ty." Leo waved the question off, his pencil flying across the paper.

When their eyes went to the man, he sighed. He muttered something in Spanish then pointed to his head. He then made his hands look somewhat like claws and he lined them up together and made a motion where he failed to get them to line up properly.

When they continued to blink at him he threw his hands up in frustration and started muttering in Spanish again.

"Come on, really?" Leo looked up at the others. "_None _of you take Spanish?"

"Well, like, I do." Kitty said. "But I'm not good at the, like, speaking and listening."

Leo and Ty face-palmed. "Of course not."

Tyler waved them on, signaling to continue.

Scott leaned over the table and grabbed another picture. "I never caught this one's name." It was a blurry photo of a boy with dark blue eyes and a brown cloak on over his head.

"Cloak." Tyler stated. "_Clay se llamó Cloak._"

Leo's hand froze on the paper and he gasped suddenly.

Kurt noticed the change in Leo's demeanor. "Is something wrong Leo?"

The teen went back to sketching, he was nearly done. "No. Did you say he was called Cloak? That's rather ironic." He finished the drawing with an additional stroke and handed it to Kitty. Kitty looked it over and passed it to Scott.

The older teen looked it over. "Well this doesn't help much…"

Leo laughed a little scornfully. "Sorry, she wears a mask." The picture successfully captured her body build and basic uniform, but as Scott said, it was hard to tell anything due to the mask. "All I know about her is she has those startling green eyes and gray skin."

"She's a shape-shiftah, she could look like anybody." Rogue muttered.

Jean and Kurt shuffled through the school photos of the mutants that came to the meeting the day before.

"No one here has green eyes like that." Kurt said, tossing down a photo in defeat. "Maybe she didn't come."

"Or…" Rogue said, sitting forward. "She was someone who wasn't there."

Ty broke the small silence with another comment in Spanish. Leo translated. "Let's move on, we won't get anywhere comparing a photo of a known shape-shifter to pictures of people who didn't say they were shape-shifters."

* * *

><p>"Let's try this again." Xavier said, sitting behind a small control panel outside. Portal stood a few feet in front of him, breathing hard. Small cannons jutted out of the grass pointed at a person-shaped dummy. The dummy had a few places of blown stuffing, but they were only in nonfatal places.<p>

Storm stood behind the professor observing the young mutant's skill. She seemed to have her powers very under control and kept her cool when she started falling behind in the exercise; but the girl seemed to be tiring.

Bending down to talk to the professor, Storm whispered. "I do not think she will have any difficulty with the Danger Room, maybe we can try that later."

Xavier nodded and folded his hands under his chin, watching the girl catch her breath. "Yes, although I'm not sure if anyone will want to spare with her. Why don't you go inside and see if you can find Kurt. I would like him to help out here."

"Of course professor." Storm said, standing up and walking toward the building.

Portal stretched her arms out above her head and shook them out. "Alright, I'm ready."

The professor nodded and pressed a button on the control panel. The cannons whirled to life and began firing small saw blades at the target.

"Protect the target at all costs, this time try to take out the cannons while you do that."

Portal extended her arms and made motions with her hands and threw her arms out to the side. As the blades sliced through the air portals opened in front of them and they were transported away. She opened corresponding portals that sent the spinning blades into the ground behind the dummy.

Her energy levels were greatly decreasing and she struggled this time to accurately send the blades away. Growing tired she decided to open a portal beneath the cannons. The small cannons slipped through the portal and fell from the sky directly above. Hopefully Xavier didn't mind her trashing them. They were rich here, right?

Professor X pressed a few buttons and halted the remaining cannons. "Very good, are you getting tired?"

"Yeah…" Portal sighed, rolling up her sleeves and sitting down on the ground. "Can… can we take a break?"

"Of course, another student Kurt will join us out here shortly, and we can give you a tour if you want." Xavier stated.

Portal smiled slightly. "Sure, I'd love a tour."

* * *

><p>Storm walked into the conference room where the X-Men were still trying to pair photos up. They looked up gratefully when she came in.<p>

"Kurt, the professor wanted to see you."

Kurt jumped up. "Great, I don't know how much more of this I could take!" He ported out leaving behind his signature smoke.

Scott stood also. "You know what? Let's take a break, I don't think we're going to get anywhere farther today." He looked at Tyler. "Maybe you should talk to the prof about being able to only speak in Spanish."

"What?" Storm asked, confused.

Tyler began to explain then sighed. "_No puedo hablar en ingles. __No sé por qué._"

"We were trying to match these school photos of the kids who came to the meeting with some file photos Scott got from Cerebro, when Ty picked one up and torched it." Leo explained. "Then he started speakin' straight Spanish. We're all kinda confused."

Storm pondered that for a second before her eyes widened. "Did it feel like a shadow fell over you before you began speaking Spanish?"

Ty looked confused for a second then he nodded. That was the exact feeling he had.

"Woah, like, do you think it was a ghost?" Kitty asked. The others stared at her. "I mean… you know? Everyone's been acting weird today, like there's someone messing with us."

"That's ridiculous, Kitty." Scott argued.

Leo shrugged. "Logan's been surprisingly pleasant today."

The others stared at him.

"This Ah gotta see." Rogue said, standing up and walking out.

The other mutants followed, Kitty trying to convince them the whole way that it was a ghost.

* * *

><p>Kurt flashed in beside the professor. "Hey, professor! You wanted to—" He noticed Portal standing in front of him. "Uhh…"<p>

"Oh come on now, use your words." Portal teased. Kurt was wearing his image inducer so he looked relatively normal. Portal smiled, knowing he undoubtedly recognized her. "Care for a rematch, blue boy?"

Kurt looked from the professor to the girl and back again. "Uh, why is she here!"

"Kurt! We can't just turn away mutants who need our help." Xavier scolded. He gestured to the girl. "This is Portia Manderson."

"But… she... and!" Kurt stammered.

Suddenly there was a crashing noise from the mansion. The three turned to see a window blow out followed by a swirling mass of ice and snow. Ice and shattered glass littered the lawn below and students and teachers started to stick their heads outside of windows.

Wolverine growled from underneath the window. "What the hell is going on!" He looked up at the ice forming under the window and spreading over the building. "BOBBY! I'm gonna shred that popsicle!"

Bobby walked up behind the gruff man. "What's going on?"

Logan whirled around and grabbed the front of the teen's shirt. He snarled for a second then set him down. Reaching out he patted the kid's head and turned away. "Don't worry about it, we'll get it cleaned up."

The students just stared at Logan as he walked back into the mansion. Leo pointed his thumb at the man. "Told ya he was acting weird."

"Like, who's room was it that got trashed?" Kitty asked, walking gingerly over the debris. She saw a couple frozen pictures of Jean. "Oh man, Scott!"

"Bobby!" Scott shouted. "What did you do to my room?"

Bobby waved his hands. "No, no, it wasn't me dude!"

"Wasn't you? Who else would it be? Do you expect me to believe _Storm_ did it?" Scott asked, jabbing his finger in Bobby's chest.

Bobby swatted his hand away. "Well it wasn't me!"

"REALLY?"

The students began arguing loudly. Xavier and Kurt rushed over to try to split it up.

"Scott! Bobby! Stop it!" Xavier said with authority. The two stopped in their fighting and looked at the professor. "We have guests here. We will figure this out later, for right now everyone is to help clean this up." He rotated his wheelchair to go back to the small training ground where Portal had been standing.

He stopped suddenly and frowned. "She's gone…"

* * *

><p>It took a while, but eventually everything at the mansion was straightened out. Xavier continued to work with new mutants that came in that day, but none came after lunch so getting everything back to normal was easy then. Ty's locked on Spanish mind was reset thanks to the professor and he grinned hugely when he could talk in English again. As it turned out, Storm did cause a blizzard in Scott's room. Unluckily for the students Logan went back to normal and was determined to prove it in a Danger Room session.<p>

That night Xavier went down to Cerebro to try and figure out what happened that day.

He sat alone at the controls with the Cerebral helmet on his head, scanning through the power signatures that Cerebro recorded for the day at the Institute. His eyebrows were nearly scrunched together in concentration.

"Charles?"

He turned and looked up. Storm walked in the door and across the metal platform.

"Ah, Storm… I was just seeing if I could identify our unknown visitor."

Storm looked nervously at him, waiting for an explanation.

Charles sighed. "It's kind of what we expected. There was a lot of action in the Astral Plane, our visitor somewhat possessed a few of us and manipulated us to some unknown goal."

"My brother was possessed?"

The two adults turned and saw Leo standing in the doorway. He coughed. "Sorry, I… uh… I left my sketchpad down in the conference room and…"

Xavier smiled, "No it's fine, Leo. As to answer your questions, spoken and unspoken, there's a plane of existence called the Astral Plane that telepaths can traverse freely. It's made up of all the conscious thoughts of everyone on the planet. It seems that our unseen visitor was a visitor in the Astral Plane, from which he could manipulate us to however he wanted."

Leo nodded, taking in the information. "Okay… so there was a mutant in this Astral Plane? It makes sense, they crystal over my heart was reactin' to a use of power, but I never saw anyone use their powers." He paused. "But it seems like the two of you know a little bit more that you're not telling me."

"Yes, well there was a man who called himself the Shadow King who only exists in the Astral Plane. We fear it may have been him." Xavier explained.

Leo scratched his head. "Was this Shadow King like an evil dude?"

The professor grinned a little. "Yes, I guess you could say he was."

"Then I don't think it was him." Leo stated. "This guy was just messing with us a little bit, creating suspicion, and interfering when we were trying to identify the Haven mutants."

"Wait, you said Tyler burnt a photo right?" The professor asked, an idea forming. He turned back to Cerebro and manipulated the controls while waiting for an answer.

"Uh... yeah… what's goin' on in that brain of yours, professor?" Leo answered, now extremely curious.

"Just an idea…" The professor responded. "It's possible it was a mutant from the Haven, but since it only seemed it was him here his mutant power signature might not be masked."

Storm caught on. "We might be able to identify him."

"_Mutant signature found."_ Cerebro's mechanical voice sounded.

"Looks like we found something!"

"_Scan complete, identity confirmed._

_Name: Xander Green._

_Residence: zzzt. Unable to locate._

_Age: 16_

_Abilities include: Astral projection and suggestion."_

A picture of a teenager with black hair, blue eyes, dimpled cheeks, and a scrawny build wearing a gray hoodie and jeans appeared. Leo snapped his fingers.

"That's him! The one in the photo, he had his hood up, but now I remember! He was one of the Haven that came to collect Sionnach Fae!" Leo exclaimed. He grinned; knowing just who he was getting involved with was making him feel more confident about promising future alliance to them. Jamie would be crushed to hear that, but it was going to happen.

He teen looked at the screen again, and then looked to Professor Xavier. "That brings our known Haven count to four: Sionnach Fae, Portia Manderson, Seth Severus, and now Xander Green."

"You were able to identify that many?" Storm asked.

Leo nodded. "Yeah, well it's not much, we stopped when we got to the girl Ash. Rogue was going to see if she could sift through her memories, they were a little jumbled."

"Perhaps I can help." Professor Xavier said, placing Cerebro's helmet down.

Leo hesitated on agreeing, but then he figured he might as well. "Yeah, sure! I don't really know when Scott wanted to get together tomorrow to figure it out, but we'd love to have you help us."

Xavier nodded. "Sounds like a plan. Also, I think I'll have the main X-Men team members run the next meeting at Bayville. I know you are starting to get full plates with school, but I would really like it if you could do it."

"Sure." Leo shrugged. "It's not really my call for everyone, but it's fine with me!"

"Great, now I believe Wolverine called another Danger Room session for later this evening."

"Awww man…" The spikey-haired teen groaned. "A double dose? Logan's really trying to make us forget he acted nice!"

* * *

><p><strong>Limited action, I know, but not everything is constant kick-butt. Thanks again to HMaster!<strong>

**So small explanation: Shadow King is from the comics (I just read HMaster's Redux chapter with him in it and I felt like referencing him) and most likely a lot of you recognize him from Wolverine and the X-Men, but obviously he wasn't the one messing with the X-Men. Xander/Whisper has similar abilities, but he HAS a body to return to. Eventually I might let you guys see what it's like for him when he uses his powers.**

**I know the "nice" scenes of Logan were wimpy, but let's face it: IT'S WOLVERINE. That is nice.**

**I anticipate the next chapter being quite short but we'll see. It'll be the next mutant meeting at school about control. I'm starting to skip around again with the timeline within the story because I really want to get to the event I called the "breaking point" in one of my last author's notes. Don't worry, it's not the end, but it will dramatically change the story.**


	26. Chapter 25: Control

**Disclaimer: As you may have guessed, I still don't own the X-Men, and some OCs are not mine. Check out my profile for full props!**

**Author's note:** How do you guys do this?

I recently caught up with all of my favorite fanfictions and, to my horror, MUST NOW WAIT FOR THEM TO BE UPDATED! How can you guys stand to do this every week? Or month? OR MONTHS? Always waiting for more! Ack! I shoulda stayed a slow reader! I could've enjoyed everything for much longer! (ironically, some authors I spead of read this story. Funny... maybe I'm aiming this at them :D)

Tiny preview for chapter just in case you like to know what you're getting into: Control. Control is probably the hardest part about being a mutant, and it doesn't come easy, especially when life doesn't want to cooperate. And the school's fall dance is only a week away. What could possibly go terribly wrong? Basically just an overview of the week.

(and possibly because I love my chapter previews, I try to make them suspenseful:D *geek*)

**Enjoy. Read. Review. (in that order, no sense in reviewing if you haven't read!)**

* * *

><p><em>Monday<em>

"Enrique!"

The white-haired mutant finished grabbing his books out of his locker and turned. He was surprised to see Leo walking down the hall toward him.

"Leo? I thought you left already." Enrique said.

Leo stopped a little too close to the boy for Enrique's comfort. Enrique stepped back a little and looked down at the other mutant.

Leo jabbed his finger into Enrique's chest. "Why didn't you tell me!" He snarled, closing the short distance between them again.

Enrique looked bewildered and struggled for words. He had no idea was Leo was talking about, at all. It was possible he was talking about his sexual orientation, but it seemed unlikely. Leo appeared to be fine with Ashley being gay, why would he care that Enrique was?

He held up his hands as Leo gritted his teeth. "Listen, Leo, I… I did not know you would react this way. I swear, I was going to tell you!"

"Goin' to? I deserved to know!" Leo was straining to keep his voice down. "Did Clay tell you not to?"

The bewildered look on Enrique's face increased, his mind struggling to make sense of it all. "Clay? I-I thought you were talking about me being gay."

The bewildered look spread to Leo. He relaxed a little bit, his own mind sorting through what he was hearing. "Y-you're… gay?" He shook his head. "Never mind that, did Clay tell you not to tell me that you were a part of the Haven?" He hissed.

Enrique's deep blue eyes widened. "How did you…"

Leo gripped the front of Enrique's shirt and pushed him back into the metal lockers. "You told me your codename! How didn't you think I would notice?"

"Leo, stop." The other boy said softly, fear etching its way across his face.

The spikey haired mutant seemed to be having an internal battle with himself. Enrique watched as his amber eyes flashed between recognition and animal rage. Leo was straining against himself as he clutched the other boy's front, veins popping out along his arms and neck.

_He's your friend!_

_He lied to me!_

Cloak watched his internal struggle with curiosity. Leo was suspended in a state of in between shifting, his teeth glimmering sharp, his muscles rippling, and faint golden fuzz was growing on his body. Enrique, although a little scared, couldn't help but think about the other boy's appearance… and how he would look without his shirt on…

_Oh shut up._ Cloak muttered to himself. He was in danger of being ripped to shreds.

"Leo!" Tabitha shouted, coming around the corner. At the same moment, on the other side of the hallway Zendi came around the opposing corner.

"Enrique!"

The two girls glanced at each other for a moment, and then both ran at the two boys.

"Let go of him!" Zendi yelled, attempting to shove Leo off.

The mutant gasped and looked at his hands that were pressing the taller teen into the lockers, a slight dent around him. He released his grip and threw his hands up, backing away.

"I-I didn't mean—"

Seeing that Enrique was no worse for wear, Zendi whirled around. Faster than any of their eyes could follow she slammed Leo into the wall behind him.

"What type of games do you think you're playing?" She snarled, her dark eyes fiery.

Tabitha placed her hands between the two of them and pushed them apart. "Woah there girlie! Leo didn't mean him any harm."

Zendi glared at Tabitha. "Well he probably did! Why else do you shove someone into lockers?"

Leo took a deep breath to collect himself. "She's right, I kinda lost it there." He looked beyond Zendi to Enrique. "I'm so sorry Enrique, you know, powers and all." He glared at him still. "Although I would have liked to know still."

"_Lo __siento__, __también__. _I should have… told you… you… you deserved to know." Enrique replied softly. He nodded to Zendi and the pair left.

"What the hell was that about, kitten?" Tabitha asked, a puzzled look on her face.

Leo shook his head. "Nothing. I-I need to get back to the Institute." He suppressed a growl. "I…I'm goin' to lose control a-again."

* * *

><p>Logan lounged against the window sill, reading the late edition of the newspaper. He snarled at an article about the kids' former principal, Edward Kelly, and his run for mayor. He extended his claws and sliced the article out, the paper shreds fluttering to the ground.<p>

"Logan! Danger Room! NOW!" A voice snarled from outside the kitchen door.

Logan didn't bother looking up, knowing the voice was the runt. "I'm busy kid, 'sides, you got one later tonight."

Leo paced in front of him like one of the tigers at the zoo. He clutched his head and growled, trying to shut out the animal again. "I'm s-s-s-serious L-logan!" The teen started shaking.

His mentor looked up, startled at the kid's behavior. He set the paper down and stood. "That bad, huh?"

The teen could only nod as he shuddered again.

Logan watched him closely. "Okay, let's go." As they walked down the halls the gruff man watched Leo out of the corner of his eye and shooed the other students away. With Leo in a state like he was, there was no telling what he would do if he got distracted from trying to keep the lion in.

Neither bothered to suit up, so they just walked straight into the metal room. Leo seemed to relax a little bit when his feet hit the metal floor.

"Whatcha want kid?" Logan asked, walking over to the elevator that extended down from the control booth.

"ANYTHING!" Leo roared, shifting into his lion humanoid form.

Logan stopped before the elevator, and sent it back up. _Better go voice command_. He extended his claws and turned back to Leo. As he ran at the teen he yelled at the computer.

"Computer, access Leo's Run number thirteen!" The man rushed Leo and slashed his claws at him.

The lion ducked and slashed out with his own claws. Wolverine ducked in between his arms and retracted his claws, jabbing Leo under his arm. The man snarled and kicked the teen hard in the back, sending him flying.

Leo stumbled forward into a laser cannon that sprung from the floor. He flipped over it then sprung up himself. With an ear-splitting roar he tore the cannon out of the floor, sparks flying, and threw it over his head at Logan.

Not breaking a sweat, Logan sliced the cannon in half, the two halves flying to either side of him. Leo's Run Thirteen was a mostly hand-combatant Danger Room program, made for Logan and Leo to go head-to-head with occasional cannons springing up. It was kind of a way for the two of them to work out their anger without killing someone.

Leo tackled Logan, knocking both of their claws out of the equation. The two tumbled around before Logan kicked the lion off of him.

With a little pause, Logan figured he might as well ask. "Alright runt, who got to ya?"

Leo didn't answer, but he extended his claws and moved fast enough to land a blow on Wolverine. He slashed a deep gash in the older mutant's shoulder, and then swung his right fist toward Logan's stomach.

The hit struck home and Logan buckled over. Grunting he stood and let his claws out again. "Alright, slash… then talk."

The lion attempted to slash the man's chest, but three things got in his way. Logan was careful to use the blunt sides to block the hit, since Adamantium would cut Leo's bronze claws clean through. Leo snarled, straining to get his claws free of Logan's. Giving up he grabbed the man's wrist with his other hand and tossed him away.

A cannon suddenly whirled out of the wall behind the teenager and fired. Leo was breathing heavy and not paying attention to his surroundings, so the blast hit him hard in the back. He fell forward, arms and legs sprawled out, and his shirt on fire.

It must have been enough to knock some sense into him, because he stayed down after that and shifted back to human.

He kind of wanted to feel the pain of the fire on his flesh, and he allowed it to burn him. It became too much for him and he quickly got up cursing and he flung off his shirt.

"It musta really been something." Wolverine grumbled, placing a hand over his bleeding shoulder to stop the flow of blood until his healing factor took care of it.

Leo took a deep breath, feeling a lot less angry. His back hurt like Hell, but his head hurt more. He sighed and sat on the ground, wrapping his arms around his knees.

Logan grunted. "Hmm, you know I ain't one for talkin' much about this crap, but it always seems to pull you back from the brink."

"That damn Haven. Damn, damn, DAMN!" Leo shouted, more at himself than Logan. He looked up to see the man confused with both arms crossed. "My best friend… he's a member of the Haven. And… he didn't even tell me! The others think they're the enemy, but _they've_ been more excepting of me than half the mutants here!"

"We don't know nothing about them, kid." Logan grumbled. "Maybe they can be our friends, but maybe not. They haven't exactly proved themselves positively yet."

"That's the problem, we think we know them… but we don't! That's all I want, to know what they're really about!" Leo sighed, falling back on the floor with a _clank._

Wolverine snorted. "What are ya gonna do about it then, runt?"

Leo stared at the ceiling, deciding that Logan deserved the truth. "I'm goin' to join them."

Logan's eyes widened a bit. "Yer gonna what?"

"They've offered me a place there, and I'm goin' to take it."

"Kid…"

Leo stood and kicked the remains of his shirt. "Let's face it Logan. You don't _need_ me here."

"Kid, don't talk like that. This team has lost a member before, don't make it happen again."

The teen arched an eyebrow. "What… who?"

"Evan 'Spyke' Daniels." Logan answered bluntly.

"You… you mean Storm's nephew? I know he left but—"

"After a certain point the porcupine felt he was needed elsewhere. It tore Storm to pieces, the X-Men fell apart for days." Logan pointed a finger at him. "You think you can leave without leaving lasting damage? What about your brothers?"

"They agreed to come with me."

Logan rolled his eyes. "Willingly? Benj would go anywhere you did, whether he liked it or not. By leaving you'll be forcing him to leave something he loves, _someone_ he loves." He added with a growl. "And Tyler, this is the first place he's been normal. I don't think he could stand the thought of you bein' somewhere he couldn't watch over your ass. Are you willin' to take that away from them just because we got some idiots here?"

"I…" Leo stopped. He never thought of it that way. Were Tyler and Benj just agreeing with him because they wouldn't leave him behind? "I…" He threw his hands down and ran out. "I just need some time to think!"

* * *

><p><em>Tuesday<em>

"Leo?"

"Leo!"

"Man, where did he go?"

An all-out search was on to try and find Leo Dyson. About half-way through the school day the students noticed he was missing from school, and they called in to the Institute to see if he was there; when he wasn't the search started.

Logan was able to track his scent to the school and back to the Xavier Institute, but from there it got a little fuzzy. Soon enough he thought he found his way and was off on his motorcycle before anyone could stop him.

They tried having Benj use his empathy link with Leo to try and find him as well.

The professor looked at Benj, hopeful. Benj's eyes were closed and his breathing deep, he was trying to get through to his brother. The two, plus a few of the other students and teachers, were in the professor's office.

Suddenly Benj cried out in pain and grasped his head. His eyes snapped open and he shook his head. "Dang it Leo!"

"Benj! Are ya okay?" Rogue asked.

He rubbed his arm and nodded before turning to the professor. "Leo's causing himself physical pain whenever I use the link. He knows that I'll fell it too and it'll break my concentration." Benj rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Professor Xavier, where ever Leo is, he doesn't _want_ to be found."

Xavier frowned. "Extend the search area, I'll see if Cerebro can find him if he uses his powers." He looked around at the team. "And let's hope he doesn't."

* * *

><p>"Beast!" Tabitha yelled, catching the teacher's attention. She and Amara ran up to him. "Any word yet on Leo?"<p>

Beast halted on his way to the garage. "Not yet I'm afraid."

"How can we help?" Amara asked.

Beast thought about it. "Well, Jamie's already spread out throughout the city looking, along with Ray and Bobby. The professor wants us to extend the search area though… Do either of you know where he could've possibly gone?"

Amara shook her head. Tabitha shrugged. "I don't know, I just saw him get into a fight with Enrique yesterday. You think that had something to do with it?"

"Enrique?" Beast tried to cycle through the names he knew before coming to a face. "Oh! Enrique Oculto! The soccer friend." He frowned suddenly. "Hold on a sec. A fight? What over?"

"I don't know, didn't catch what it was over… but Leo had him slammed up against the lockers." Tabitha replied.

"A girl possibly?"

Tabitha suppressed a laugh. "Enrique's gay."

"A boy?"

She shook her head. "Unlikely, all I heard him say was that he 'deserved to know'."

Beast stroked his chin. "Hmmm… and you don't know what he was talking about?" She denied. "Okay, maybe if we can find Enrique—"

"He might have an idea where Leo is!"

* * *

><p>"How can he not be in the phone book?" Kurt shouted, tossing yet another yellow phone book on the ground. The students had been called in from the search outside and were concentrating their efforts on brainstorming, hoping, and researching.<p>

Pretty much all of the students were gathered in the Rec Room, all in various states of mind. Benj was still trying to use the empathy link, with little luck. He sat cross-legged against one of the walls, with Rogue squeezing one of his hands. Leo was continuing his process of expelling Benj; the blonde teen was beginning to get really sore.

Jean and Storm walked into the room, drawing looks from everyone. They had gone to the apartment complex that Storm had dropped Enrique off at several weeks ago.

Benj and Ty looked up expectantly, but Storm shook her head. "There is no record of the Oculto family living there, ever. I do not think we will find him tonight."

The held breath of everyone in the room was released, and it seemed as though their hope went with it.

Xavier rolled into the room, his expression serious. "I know everyone wants to help… but I think it would be best if we all rested for the night. We will keep looking, we will find him."

"What if he doesn't want to be found?"

The mutants in the room turned to the small voice that suggested it. Jamie's face was completely devoid of emotion as he repeated his question. "What if he doesn't want us to find him?"

"Then he'll just have to tell us that when we do." Tyler stated, standing up. "I think the professor is right, we can't do any more good today, it's time to rest. Besides…" He smiled tight-lipped. "I think some of you have a massive test tomorrow."

* * *

><p><em>Wednesday<em>

Ashley Wolfe walked quietly to her locker during a bustling passing period. Spinning the lock, she opened it. Suddenly a small note fluttered out, attached to a deep crimson rose.

She glanced confusedly around, before picking them up. The note was handwriting scrawled on light blue paper, and as she read through it, it was apparent that it was a note from a secret admirer.

_You may have not noticed me, but I've noticed you. I find it cute that you are kinda bite-sized, and I love your eyes. I like girls with hazel eyes, and green is one of my favorite colors. I am not the best at talking to girls I like, so I tried this! I wanted to ask you to the dance next week, but wanted to be sure you did not already have plans. If you don't, leave a note in locker 202. I'll see you at the next mutant meeting._

_~J.H._

Ash blinked away her surprise and looked from the rose to the note. She was afraid it was from some desperate guy, and that she would have to break it to him that she just _was not_ interested. On the other hand, it could turn out to be a girl, which could bring a more positive outcome. She started racking her brain for names of mutants that she met last Friday.

"Hey Ash, whatcha got there?"

Ash turned to see her leader, Clay, walking down the hall toward her. She raised what was in her hands, and to her dismay, Clay grinned.

"_Someone's_ got a secret admirer! How cute." Clay said, laughing.

"I don't know what to do…" Ash murmured.

Clay nodded at the note. "What does it say?" Ash handed it to her. The older mutant read through it quickly, smiling a little. "Well, it looks like you leave a note in this locker 202."

"What if it's a guy?" Ash asked, taking the note back and putting it in her locker. She shut it and began walking down the hall with Clay. "I don't want to be mean."

Clay shrugged. "Then write in the note that you're interested… only if they're a girl. I wasn't at the last meeting, so I can't help you out with any names."

The pair turned a corner to see a small ring of Xavier Institute students around Enrique, who was backed up against the lockers. Clay looked at Ash, whose face was blank. Ash met her gaze and nodded. They might as well see what was going on.

"Rogue!" Claire called out, walking up to the girl. "What's goin' on?"

Rogue turned slightly, still keeping an eye on Enrique. "Leo's gone, we don't know where he is, but apparently Enrique and Leo got inta a fight before he left." She glared at Enrique. "We were hopin' he'd tell us what happened." Her eyes fell on Ash. She squinted. "Don't Ah know ya?"

Ash returned her gaze, her jaw set. "Maybe."

Benj looked at the two girls, and his eyes noticed something on Ash's waist. Attached to her belt loop was a small gray circular device. "The Haven!" He blurted out.

Rogue narrowed her eyes more and pointed her finger at Ash. "Ya're Ash, the girl Ah fought."

A momentary look of panic etched its way across Claire's face before vanishing. She had the feeling like a train wreck was about to happen, but she couldn't help but keep going and watch.

"One of them Haven mutants that attacked us!" Rogue nearly shouted, she clenched her fists.

Ash shrugged and looked to Claire. Claire tilted her head and brought her eyebrows together.

"Uh… Haven?" Claire asked, trying to distract Rogue.

Rogue waved her off, and stepped closer to Ash. "That's how Ah know ya, ya're in mah head!" She growled. "Thanks ta ya guys, Storm was—"

"Not now Rogue." Benj said calmly, placing a hand on her shoulder. Kitty did the same, pulling the southern mutant back. The blonde looked at Ash's Haven communicator then turned back to Enrique. The same small sphere was clipped to his waist as well. Benj's eyes widened and he slapped his own forehead. "Duh!" He thought about his own communicator, he left his in his nightstand at the Institute, but he knew that Leo always kept his with him.

Benj pointed at the white-haired mutant. "He's part of the Haven. Is that what Leo was arguing with you about?"

Enrique nodded, his eyes darting to Claire momentarily. It seemed that all of their identities were crumbling, but they knew that Claire's had to remain intact. There was no telling what would happen if _she _was exposed.

The warning bell rang. Claire gave Rogue a confused look. "You know, as interestin' as this mutant party is, I'm gonna be late for class. Good luck with findin' Leo." She walked away, giving Enrique and Ash a nod.

She would be back.

"I also should be getting to class." Enrique tried, inching his way over, only to be stopped by Kurt.

"We want some answers first." Kurt stated.

Ash surprised them all by shoving Kurt out of the way. "We don't _know_ what happened to Leo."

Enrique placed a hand on the small girl's shoulder and turned to face the X-Men. "What happened? I know he was not here yesterday."

"He left halfway through the day, and took our motorcycle." Benj answered. He figured since Enrique was friends with Leo he deserved an answer. "It's possible he's looking for the Haven."

The Haven mutants exchanged glances. "He will not find it." Enrique stated.

"That's why I want your help. Can you get me in touch with Clay Dune?" Benj asked, just as the tardy bell rang. The mutants in the hallway were no longer concerned with being late.

Cloak chuckled silently, and Ash actually laughed. Her laugh was quiet and rather creepy, so it freaked out the Institute students. Enrique raised an eyebrow slightly at her; he'd only heard her laugh a few times, so it was unusual.

"_Verdad…_ Clay will not want to speak with you. But…" He thought for a moment. "If Leo is in danger I will make it happen. Consider this your first partnership with the Haven." He stuck his hand out.

Rogue took it, and they shook.

* * *

><p>Leo put the kickstand down on the motorcycle, then stood. He stretched his arms above his head, and shook his legs out. How long had he been riding? Nearly twelve hours straight, he guessed. He tore off the helmet and recalculated his guess as he looked at his watch. <em>Make that fourteen.<em>

He spat on the dusty ground, he wasn't even sure where he was. He looked around at his surroundings.

It was a run-down gas station, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. He had parked the bike near the convenience store, after filling the tank up from the rusty pump.

He leaned against the building and pulled a box out of his pocket. Removing one of its contents, he lit it and stuck it in his mouth. Taking a deep breath, he exhaled some smoke and groaned.

Yet another promise to himself he broke.

Leo grumbled to himself. He just couldn't break the habit of keeping a pack of cigarettes on him all the time, regardless of Benj's asthma. Damn terrible habit to break.

He yanked the cigarette out of his mouth and flung it on the ground, grinding the end into the pavement. He swore silently before taking out another.

"Holy cow, kid. You know smokin's bad for your health." A gruff voice grumbled. The teen didn't even bother looking for the source.

Leo nodded, before leaning his head back. "I know it's just that… a bad habit to start." He took another puff. "What do you want Logan?"

"Anything you wanna talk about runt?" Wolverine asked, leaning against the wall next to him. He looked over the teen. He was no worse for wear, though dark bags were beginning to form under the kid's eyes. By his estimate, Leo had been riding straight through the night. It was pure luck Logan caught up to him… well, and pure speed.

"Thought I would make it a little farther before you found me, old man." Leo grunted. He turned his head to look at the man. "Take these," he said, handing the pack of cigarettes to Logan, "and bury them far away. If I see another one, I'm gonna be sick."

"Bad habit for sure." Logan said darkly, sticking the box deep into his pockets. He walked a few paces then spun to face the kid. "Alright, I ain't gonna make you do anything, but use yer head, runt. What do you want to do?"

The young mutant sighed, and played with the shark teeth on the cord around his neck. "I want to do a lot of things. Go to the dance, find a girl, kiss her, marry somebody, have a few cubs…" he added with a smirk. Logan chuckled and shook his head. "But right now? I need some space… some time to think." Leo laughed darkly. "But I got no place to go, nowhere to think in peace. I'm glad you came after me, but maybe I need some time away from the team. To… figure some things out."

"Where ya gonna go?"

Leo shrugged. "I hear Bayville's nice this time of year."

Wolverine raised an eyebrow. "You came all this way… hundreds of miles… only to decide to go back?" He stuck a thumb out at himself. "_And I followed you?_"

Leo scratched his head. "You knew I was comin' back, one way or another."

The man narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, I did… I just thought we'd get to see somethin' exciting, not this crappy old gas station."

The insane grin spread across Leo's face. "Then you should've waited longer, Logan! I was goin' all the way to Nebraska if I had anything to say about it!"

Logan spat on the ground. "Nebraska? Are you outa yer flea bitten mind? There ain't nothing there!"

"Maybe I like corn and soybeans, maybe I was hungry for a Runza!" Leo laughed. "Maybe I'd get featured on one of those little cards at Runza that say 'I'm a Runzaddict and I drove all the way from Bayville on a motorcycle, being chased by my insane teacher, just to eat a Runza!'"

"That all you wanted?"

Leo's face darkened. "No… I needed sometime to clear my head… see where God took me. Apparently I'm meant to come back to the Institute sooner than I thought."

Wolverine looked back at his motorcycle, and then sighed. "Well we came all this way, didn't we? And we're already half-way there…" He almost looked like he wanted to shoot himself for the suggestion. "Come on," he groaned, waving his hand. "Let's see how many corn fields we pass before we find a Runza, or whatever the hell you wanted to see."

"Eat, Logan. I want to _devour_ a Runza sandwich."

"_Whatever_. We'll have the Blackbird pick us up."

As the pair got on their bikes and sped off, a figure on top of the gas station stood. She fiddled with a gray sphere, before pressing the button.

"Targets on their way home. Let the X-Men know their cowardly lion is goin' home to Kansas."

* * *

><p><em>Friday<em>

Friday again. The week had seemed long for the X-Men, but compared to the crazy weeks they had experienced before, it was nothing. Things had gone crazily for Leo again, and some at the Institute were wondering if he was more trouble than he was worth.

Just before the bell rang for the last class to be released, Principal Darth came on over the intercom.

"Before you all run off and have a great weekend, I'd like to remind you that the Fall Dance is only a week away! Be sure to get your tickets now! And as an additional reminder, despite the fact it is near Halloween there are _no_ costumes allowed. Thank you, and have a great weekend!"

The bell rang immediately after that and Leo tore out of the room without a glance at Enrique.

"Wait, Leo!" Enrique shouted after him, but the feline mutant was too fast. The white-haired boy muttered to himself and gathered his things. How had he let things get so out of control over the past week? Leo was refusing to talk to him after their fight.

He ran out of the classroom and tried to catch a glimpse of Leo through the swarmed hallways. He scanned the tops of heads, looking for the red spikes.

"Uh… Enrique?" A voice asked behind him.

The mutant turned to see Sionnach at his locker. The boy had a peculiar look on his face, almost like he was embarrassed, but Enrique wasn't paying much attention to that.

"Oh hi Sionnach. Did you see Leo go by?" Enrique said, still looking around the hallways. He sighed, he'd just have to talk to him after the mutant meeting.

Sionnach's face fell, but was immediately replaced by his non-caring countenance. He hastily shoved the two tickets in his hands into his jean pockets. Adjusting the sunglasses on his face he turned back to his locker.

Enrique looked to Sionnach. "Did you want something?"

The fox ears on top of his head flattened. "No."

The other boy raised a black eyebrow at the other's strange tone. "What is wrong?"

"Nothing." Sionnach grumbled, slamming his locker shut and walking away.

He entered the classroom where they held the mutant meetings. He was slightly surprised to see the desks pushed back a little ways and a row of stools at the front with the teacher's desk shoved up against the whiteboard. Maintaining the cloud of unhappiness around him he took a seat next to Zendi.

The Haven mutants no longer had a reason to continue to hide from the X-Men.

As the last of the stragglers came in, including Enrique then Leo, the eldest Xavier Institute members sat on the stools in the front. Scott sat in the center, on either side sat Jean and Rogue, followed by Kurt next to Jean, Leo next to Rogue and Kitty next to Leo. Beast perched on the stool next to Kurt, Logan leaned against the wall nearest Leo, and Storm, Tyler, and the professor both watched from in the back of the classroom.

"If I could have your attention," Scott said from the front. The room instantly silenced. He scanned the room quickly from behind his red-tinted glasses. All the Haven mutants were grouped together, except the ever evasive Clay Dune. The younger Institute students were spread out throughout the room, mixing in with the unaligned mutants. The principal's daughter, Claire Darth leaned up against the wall in the back and watched with great boredom.

_I guess she doesn't share her father's enthusiasm._ Scott thought to himself.

He continued. "The professor is letting us run today's meeting. We're going to talk about control."

"A lot of us have struggled one way or another with control over our powers," Jean said, looking over the audience. "For some of us it's just a mind over matter thing."

"For othahs, it's a physical restriction." Rogue added, raising a gloved hand. Scott nodded and touched his glasses.

"Sometimes it can be a matter of…" Leo started, shifting half-way through his line into his lion humanoid shift, "keeping your emotions in check." He shifted back to human, somehow mustering up his crazy grin despite how down he was.

"Or use of concentration!" Kurt added, porting to the back of the classroom then back to his stool.

"Through it all we have to remain focused, as to not lose ourselves." Beast commented. "I'm sure my infamous rampage is legend by now." He said smiling.

"The proper use of our powers are, like, ultimately up to us, you know?" Kitty said, shrugging.

"We want to prove to the world we can handle them, but we can't let that go to our heads." Logan added in gruffly, clenching his fist.

"So we'd thought we'd tell you guys how we do it. How we handle things when they get out of hand." Scott stated. He pointed at his glasses. "I wear specially made ruby quartz glasses that keep me from blowing everything away, but I've had them taken before. In cases like that I have to keep my eyes closed."

"Like Scott, mah mutation is physical." Rogue said, removing a glove. "Ah can't make skin-ta-skin contact with anyone, so Ah wear clothin' that covahs mah body. It's a pain, but bettah than hurtin' someone."

Jean spoke. "I have powers of telepathy and telekinesis, but they can get out of control if I don't keep my mind focused." She smiled at the professor in the back. "Professor Xavier has given me exercises to keep my mind focused and powers under control."

"But the best thing I've, and probably everyone else, has learned is to keep a level head." Leo said, his eyes meeting Enrique's. "I'm famous on the team for outbursts, lost control, and temporary leaves of absence." He shrugged. "But all that is to keep my head screwed on tight to by body. I work a lot with Mr. Logan to keep my anger down, or at least re-directioned until I have my head 'on'."

"Not everyone's perfect," Kurt added.

"So don't freak when something goes wrong," Kitty said, waving her hand.

"Because everyone messes up," Beast joined in.

"And if ya didn't," Rogue said.

"How would you know if you had everything under control?" Scott finished.

* * *

><p><strong>Some might recognize small snipets from my scrapped Chapter 11: Beyond Reasons, where Leo runs off, and some may not. I did replace that chapter after I accidently uploaded the ubber depressing version. All that day I was freaking out during class going: "Did I put the horrible one up? Oh **** I did!"<strong>

**Anyways, next chapter is the dance. _Awww,_ so you guessed it! Stormplains tries romance genre again! YAY! Man I feel bad for Sionnach, I felt bad writing that, but he doesn't get his man easily. :D**

**~Keep writing strong.**


	27. Chapter 26: Supersonic

**Disclaimer: The X-Men and Brotherhood aren't mine, they're Marvel's. All the OCs are either of my imagination or my reviewers (check my profile for full credits).**

**Author's note: **I _hate_ school dances.

So I figured out romance is not my forte. So it turned into action about half-way through. WHAHAHA! Okay, so it mostly focuses on the Haven mutants, but I figured you all have seen the X-Men at dances before so I changed the focus. I hope you like it.

Oh and happy 4th of July. And in that awkward moment where you're not from America: happy just another day!

**Enjoy. Read. Review. And DO NOT press the red button.**

* * *

><p>"So who are you taking to the dance, Leo?" Benj asked his brother. The two were attempting to finish homework in their room after a killer Danger Room session. Benj was reading a book for English upside down on his bed and Leo was finishing a lab report for his Biology class on the floor beside him.<p>

The other mutant sighed and laid the paper beside him. It was the Tuesday right before the dance. He was desperately out of time. "Well let's see… no one." He grumbled.

"Oh come on, there's gotta be someone you could ask!"

"I'm outa time, bro. There's no one left."

Benj looked over at his brother, the blood rushing to his head from being upside down so long. "What about the Institute girls?"

Leo laughed. He began counting on his fingers. "Rogue is goin' with you. Kitty's with Lance. Amara's been asked by every guy here, and frankly I'm not interested. And Tabitha, I slightly am, but I know it would hurt Amara's feelings. Besides, she's more insane than I am. There's no hope for me!"

The blonde laughed. "There is no hope. Maybe a Haven girl, or… someone in one of your classes?"

"Yes, me going out with a Haven mutant wouldn't be suspicious… and none of the girls in my classes want to go out with a mutie." Leo grumbled.

"Well, there's Claire Darth…" Benj suggested.

The two brothers met each other's' eyes and burst out laughing.

"As great as that could possibly be, I think that would be a disaster. Dating the principal's daughter is dangerous, even for me!" Leo chuckled. "She's not a big Leo Dyson fan anyways, I kinda… crashed into her, you know?"

"So you're gonna just go alone?"

"No, I'll be with friends, and then I'll chill in the background during slow dances and gag to myself." Leo muttered.

Benj laughed. "Right, not like you enjoy the music they play anyways."

"There's nothing wrong with—" He stopped suddenly, his phone was ringing.

Benj hushed up and watched. His brother answered, after briefly looking at the caller ID. "Hello?... Mr. Walkman! Yes, Seth mentioned it… really? Well… yeah, yeah, I got it… Monday? Yes-yes sir! I'll be there!" He hung up the phone and jumped into the air.

"Hmmm, now I wonder what that was about…" The blonde chuckled, sitting up. "I didn't have to read your mind for that one."

Leo was too busy cheering and bouncing around the room to care. "THE END OF FOR A WHILE! YEAH!"

A puff of smoke accompanied by Kurt flashed into the room. "What is going on in here? It sounds like a herd of baby elephants."

Leo grabbed the blue boy's shoulders and shook him with every word. _"I get to go back to the zoo!"_ He was so excited it all came out in Spanish.

Kurt tried to settle himself as Leo went back to freaking out. He shook his head. "I'm not sure what that means, but great!"

* * *

><p>It was after school on Wednesday, and Ash was getting her books from her locker. She was supposed to meet the rest of the Haven mutants outside in a few minutes so they could go home.<p>

Suddenly someone came up behind her and extended a crimson rose out. The unknown student was standing in a position where Ash could only see their arm, so she was very confused.

"Hey there." The voice was soft and sounded a tad nervous.

Ash turned around and looked up. It was Julian Hans, one of the mutants from the Xavier meetings. Her black hair was straight and framed her pale face. Her pale blue eyes looked over the smaller girl, and Julian smiled.

"I saw that you got my note."

Ash nodded, a little embarrassed herself. It had been awhile since someone asked her out.

"So… uh…" Julian rubbed her arm as Ash took the rose from her. "Would you… like to go to the Fall Dance with me?" The last part came out a little faster than she intended.

_Idiot! Why can't you do anything right?_ Julian scolded herself.

Ash nodded. "Sure."

"Do… uh… do you want me to pick you up? I mean… cuz you know… uh…"

"Yes." Ash said quickly. "That would be nice." She gave Julian Seth's apartment address, that was where all the other Haven mutants that were going to use as there jumping off point.

"So meet you there around seven?"

The small girl nodded.

Julian smiled. "Yeah. Could I walk you to class?"

"Of course." She paused. "Of course if we _had_ class."

The black haired girl slapped her forehead. "Oh, duh! I'm just getting all tongue-tied around you. I'm sorry, I'm such an idiot."

"No, you're not." Ash said simply, placing a hand on the taller girl's arm. "It's kinda cute."

Julian smiled and took her hand. "Well then I'll just walk you outside."

* * *

><p><em>The Haven<em>

"So who's all goin' to the dance?" Clay asked as the group of mutant students arrived back at their home. They managed to not topple on top of each other this time. Everyone was settling into the common area, sitting in the chairs and couches. The leader smirked as she looked at Ashley. "You know, besides Ash."

Ash was embarrassed that Clay would point her out, and buried her face in her hands.

Enrique grinned at her. "Stop it Clay, you are embarrassing her."

Clay laughed and shrugged. "Alright. We need a head count though, so I can…" she pulled a face, making a few of the others laugh, "_appease_ Jaller."

"I think everyone was planning on going." Zendi said, glancing around.

"Can I go?" Nico asked excitedly, he was tired of being cooped up inside.

Their leader sighed, and looked sadly at Nico. "I'm so sorry Nico. It's a high school dance, you can't go." His face fell, his ears nearly folding into his head. Clay came up with an idea. "Buuut, I do need you and Rena to do something."

"Really?" The dragon boy became excited again.

Rena tilted her head in confusion. "What are you up to Clay?"

"A word, please?" Clay didn't answer her question, but instead walked over to the girls' hallway and waited for Rena to follow.

The wolf-dog paddled over, she guessed it would be easier to talk if she was in her human form so she quickly shifted. "Okay, what is it Clay?"

The girl rubbed her wrists. She looked down in confusion when she only felt skin, before realizing she wasn't wearing her wrist guards. She shook her head. "Uh… well, you know Nico's been stuck in here for a long time. He's dying to see the outside world, but you know, he's not old enough to serve on the team and we can't place him in an average elementary school. I was thinkin'… well that you and him could do some look out for us at the school."

Rena nodded. "Yeah, okay."

"I mean, I can do it if you want… oh wait, you're fine with it?"

"Yeah. I wasn't going to the dance anyways, me in a gym with a ton of other people? Bad idea, I don't do crowds. Aaaand I might just morph back to wolf-dog at any given moment." Rena said.

"That would be… unwelcome." Clay stated, before bursting out into laughter. "I'll get it all worked out with Darth. And I think Nico will be overjoyed that he gets to go on a mission."

"But, are you really expecting trouble?" Rena asked. "Or is this just a fake mission?"

Clay's gaze looked past her and her eyes glowed slightly. "Not a fake mission, but I don't want everyone else to have to worry about it. We've had enough craziness."

"But you're not… why are you going then?" Rena was a tad bit confused. It wasn't like Clay to have others do a job she would normally insist on doing herself.

The gray-skinned mutant rolled her eyes. "If I didn't go, they would know something was up. Besides, Zen insists I 'have fun'." She did air quotes for the last two words. "Apparently she doesn't think I do."

"That's because you don't." Rena replied bluntly. Clay scowled, but she continued. "You're always running on high, pushing yourself way farther than you should, and we all think you're gonna end up killing yourself."

Clay glanced at her squad, they were all watching them. Zendi seemed to be paying especially close attention, and she nodded. Their leader grew agitated.

"Just be glad you can't see inside my head." Clay growled, surprising herself and Rena at the tone she took. Her green eyes widened. "Look, I'm sorry… I—"

Rena held up her hand. "Whatever it is get your head on straight." She said bluntly, before turning back to the common area.

Zendi jumped over the couch she was sitting on and looked like she was about to up to Clay. Rena stuck her arm out and caught Knife, turning her around.

"Alright! So here's the plan everyone," Clay began, "Fenris, Wyvern, you two are on look out since you're the only two who don't go to the school."

"And Parselmouth?" Portal asked, sitting up a little straighter.

"We're all leaving from his apartment, well you guys are, my father will escort me. He will remain there, if _anything_ happens return there."

"And she means anything." Rena butted in. "We don't need to have to go after someone who's had a little bit too much to drink." Her eyes drifted to Portal, who squirmed a little under her gaze.

"Just because—" The girl with purple streaks started, glaring at the other girl.

Rena's ears went straight back. "No, I didn't mean—"

As usual, Zendi played mediator. "_Stop._ No one's blaming anyone. We have to get ready for this dance!" She cheered, jumping up.

Xander shook his head. "I'm not going. I'm not much of a dancer."

Portal rolled her eyes. "Don't stay here and read that damn book." She grinned. "Why don't you go with me?"

The boy stared at her like she'd gone insane. He wasn't one to attract the attention of girls, much less girls like Portal. "W-what?"

The girl smirked and folded her arms. "Are you gonna turn me down? It's a limited time offer."

Xander's face blushed bright red as he shook his head. "I-I… uh…" He stammered.

"Great! Sounds like a plan!" Portal got up smiling. She knew there was no way Xander would go otherwise, and their squad needed some down time.

Realization hit Nico's face. "Wait… Rena… you and I are… IT'S MY FIRST MISSION!" He squealed.

The mutants laughed.

* * *

><p>A shadowy figure stood in front of several blinking video screens. On the screens were imagines and security taps of the Haven mutants' attack on the Brotherhood Boarding House.<p>

"Well?" Another dark shape asked behind the first.

The original didn't turn away from the screens, but the bright lights reflected off the metal armor he wore making it seem like he was moving.

"It is time to put our plans into action." The figure replied. He tapped a few things onto the keyboard and brought up a certain scene from the attack.

All of the screens showed the same images. Sabretooth and Clay were fighting sword-to-claw when the girl tripped over the ground behind her and fell backwards. The animalistic mutant sprang at her and landed heavily on top of her before being thrown off by rippling sound waves. The camera's focus blurred out then in as it zoomed in. Clay Dune was shaking on the ground, her form literally falling apart from the vibrations. The figure at the screen paused the video.

"I have isolated the frequency of the sound waves. It should subdue her long enough." The figure turned to the other behind him. "We will use the school dance as a cover, get in, get her, and get out."

A crazy laugh filled the room. "Gotcha boss." Small flames stirred around the edges of the room. "But won't they notice?"

"Those with enhanced hearing will be crippled like her, so that should prove as enough of a distraction." The figure responded in a non-caring voice. "**Do not fail me**." The voice echoed menacingly.

The other figure nodded hastily and ran from the room.

* * *

><p>Light and music streamed out of the windows of the school building. A steady stream of students was filing in, the dance was already started and it looked like rain. A yellow pick-up followed by a silver Jeep and a silver SUV pulled into the parking lot. The pick-up and SUV stopped near the front doors and several Institute students jumped out of the bed of the pick-up and back seats of the SUV.<p>

"Thanks Jean!" Amara called as the silver SUV pulled away.

The truck parked alongside Rogue's Jeep (which was a miracle, parking was INSANE), and the Dyson brothers jumped out. Benj smoothed his button-down forest green shirt, and nervously flicked his hair out of his eyes.

"Dude, relax." Leo laughed. The dance wasn't extremely formal; it was pretty relaxed so most of the students wore semi-formal wear. The guys with button-down shirts and slacks, and girls in a mix of blouses, vests, slacks, shirts, and dresses. Leo was wearing a crimson shirt and black slacks with shiny leather shoes. Being at the Institute meant he could afford nicer clothes than he was used to, not that he was trying to impress anyone… but maybe he'd hook up with _someone_ at the dance.

"Rogue already likes you, you're already together… what's up?" The feline mutant asked, fiddling with ivory colored shark teeth on a cord around his neck.

"I don't _do_ dances."

Leo chuckled. "According to Kitty, Rogue's not much of a dance person either. You'll be fine!" The pair turned their heads to see Rogue, Kitty, and Lance walk up to their truck.

Rogue glanced at the couple next to her and rolled her eyes. Lance had his arm around Kitty's waist. "Yall are so damn _mushy._"

Lance had hitched a ride with Rogue, after saying he didn't want to ride with the Brotherhood.

"Ah can't believe ya just left the Brothahhood, ya're the only one with a car." Rogue laughed, after Kitty pulled a face at her.

"Eh, they'll get over it." Lance replied. "They're on their own."

Just then his Jeep came flying around the corner, honking at the X-Men and Lance. Toad leaned out the side in his awful blue tuxedo and yelled at Lance. "I hope you don't mind, we hotwired your car!"

"Why that little—!"

Kitty pulled Lance back as he lunged toward his Jeep. "Come on, like let's just go inside."

The X-Men headed in, and as soon as they set foot on the gym floor they divided up into their respective groupings.

A new couple walked in a little later after the Institute students, both hesitated at the loud music.

"Well, no turning back…" Julian sighed. She looked down at Ashley at her side, and smiled.

The smaller girl met her eyes and gave her a thumbs up, a sign of her approval. "First steps…"

"Are always the hardest." The taller girl sighed.

None of the Haven girls on Clay's squad could be defined as "girly", the closest was Portal, but even she wasn't one to go all out for a school dance. Reflecting so, none of them were wearing dresses. Ash was wearing a white dress shirt layered over a black blouse and a pair of slacks (all of the Haven's dance clothes were courtesy of two mutants, Designer and Graphic), and her dirty-blonde hair was pulled back in a braid. Her date, Julian, wore slim-fitting black slacks with a royal blue dress shirt and black buttoned vest.

Julian took a deep breath, making Ash wonder what was bothering her so much. The girl seemed pretty laid back, so it was a tad surprising. It wasn't in Ash's nature to ask a ton of questions, but she wanted to know more about this girl if she was going to have any luck in trusting her.

"What is it?"

The black haired girl grabbed her arm and pulled her over to the side of the gymnasium where there were chairs and tables. She sat and motioned for Ashley to do the same.

"Well, uh… I guess you could say I haven't really opened that closet door yet." Julian said, sounding a little miserable.

Ash nodded.

"So, I mean, this is a big step for me, you know?"

Ashley grabbed the other girl's hands and stood (not much of a difference in height from when she was sitting). She pulled Julian to her feet and jerked her head back at the dance floor.

Julian smiled. "You know just what to say."

As they walked closer to the rest of the dancing students, the rest of the Haven mutants came in. Portal had Xander's arm, and was practically dragging him into the room. They made an odd couple, Portal had her own sense of style and wore leather pants with a silver belt, a purple tank-top, and chain and leather bracelets around her wrists; Xander on the other hand, wore a green polo and navy dress slacks. He looked miserable with his sunken eyes and pale skin, but Portal wasn't letting him get away with anything and dragged him to the dance floor. She looked like she was having a blast pushing him around and _forcing him to have fun._

Zendi looked ready to dive into the mass of students, literally. She was having trouble not just climbing up the walls, it must have been the mixture of the music and the medley of sugar filled drinks Seth had at his apartment (emphasis on _had_). She was wearing leather pants as well, with an electric blue shirt under a short leather jacket. In her sugar rush she grabbed Clay's hand and dove into the fray.

Claire wasn't exactly the dancing type but with a friend like Zendi it was hard to just stand there. As usual her outfit was mostly gray: sleek black boots with gray leggings under a short black skirt, and a gray sleeveless buttoned shirt. Soon the elfish girl had Claire working up a sweat, which was saying something.

"Should we join them?"

Sionnach looked glumly at Enrique, who asked the question. The Spaniard was the only one of them wearing an actual suit, with a white jacket and slacks, black shirt underneath and a black tie. His hair was actually slicked off his forehead, and the black zig-zag down the left side stood out more.

"Right. I'll be by the punch if _you_ want me." The gold-eyed boy grumbled. His maroon colored hair was tied back as usual, but he was just wearing a white dress shirt and black slacks, along with his reflective sunglasses.

Cloak shrugged and found a suitable spot along the wall to watch the chaos.

* * *

><p>The dance had been going at full blast for about an hour when Claire finally pulled herself out of the foaming center and collapsed on a chair. She wiped some sweat from her forehead and sighed.<p>

_Zendi's trying to kill me._

She looked over to the other side of the table and realized for the first time there was someone else there. She sat up a little straighter.

Leo actually wasn't paying any attention to her until she looked at him, at which point he made it known he noticed her. A huge, slightly insane, grin spread across his face.

"_Hola_."

She snorted. "¿_Cómo estás?_"

He shrugged. "Okay, I'm just chillin'. How bout you?"

"My friend found it necessary to try to kill me." Claire stated, rolling her eyes. "You been on the dance floor yet?"

"Briefly, I can't stand the music though." He pointed to his ears.

Claire noticed he was cringing at the sound. She listened a little closer, and shuddered. "Well I know you got that crazy hearing thing, but the lyrics are quite—"

"Awful." Leo grimaced. "Seriously, who listens to this?"

As he asked a guy walked by cheering that he loved this song.

"Well, let's start with that guy." Clay said laughing. Leo chuckled and pulled an MP3 out of his pocket.

"Let's see if I can get the DJ to play this song…" He muttered. He bolted up and held his hand out to Clair. "Wait here, I'll be right back."

Claire watched him dash up and talk to the DJ behind the sound booth. The DJ nodded and took Leo's music device, the mutant turned back to his table and gave the girl a thumbs up. He walked back.

"Check it."

After the song ended what Clay could only assume was Leo's song started blasting. Both mutants winced at the concussion of sound.

As the words started Leo pulled Claire up and sang along with the lyrics. She laughed as he danced and sang.

"Have you heard the new sensation? Can I give you some good news? Well, let me tell you what it's all about 'cause it's sure to make you move!" Leo stopped singing and grabbed Claire around the waist and danced with her.

"Family Force 5?" Clay laughed as they twirled around to the heavy beat.

"Do you wanna get supersonic?" They both sang when the chorus came up.

When the song was over both mutants couldn't stop laughing and were breathing heavy. The rest of the dance floor seemed to be in similar states.

After Leo grabbed his MP3 and came back, the two mutants sat back down.

"I don't think my ears will ever stop ringing!" Claire shouted.

"What?" Leo shouted back. The two burst out laughing again. His face cleared. "Hey, I got an idea."

* * *

><p>Nico, Wyvern, was trying to remain level headed. It wasn't exactly working though.<p>

"My first mission…" He whispered.

Fenris was next to him on the roof of Bayville High. She had her paws up on the edge of the roof, and was scanning the area at the front of the school.

"Just keep your eyes open." She barked.

Wyvern nodded and squinted out into the parking lot. He tapped his claws on the rail. He knew that the mission was mostly nothing, but there was an awful sense of foreboding in the air.

To keep himself from getting bored he would check-in with his sister from time to time. Like Benj and Leo, Nico and Ashley shared a telepathic link. He and Ash had agreed earlier to leave the link open on both ends, as a way to let each other know what was going on.

'_Hey. What's going on Ash?'_

'…_Uh, nothing.'_

'_Ash, I can feel some very strong emotions coming from your end.' _Nico chuckled in his mind. _'_You _like this girl.'_

'_I'm not sure yet.'_

'_But…'_

'_She definitely likes me.'_

Nico chuckled and went back to walking the perimeter of the roof. Suddenly one of the vents on the roof opened with a _clang_. He jumped and let out an involuntary yelp, before crouching behind one of the huge air conditioning units. He fumbled a little at his belt, before pulling out his Haven communicator.

"Rena!" He hissed into the speaker.

"Codenames!" She barked.

"Sorry, _Fenris_! There's someone on the roof! Can you see them?"

There was a pause, and a sigh. "Relax and stay out of sight, it's just two teenagers."

"Oh, okay!" Nico answered back. He peered around the block of metal to watch the two teens haul themselves onto the roof. His eyes widened as he saw Clay climb out after some boy with red spikey hair.

"Uhhh, Fenris?" He whispered.

This time the reply came from his side, where the wolf-dog now was. "What?"

He turned, a little startled, before pointing. Fenris' muzzle cracked into a wolfish grin.

"Can someone say, **'blackmail'**?"

* * *

><p>Clay pulled herself up onto the roof after Leo, knowing part of her squad was up there. Hopefully, they'd stay out of sight. She should have wished they wouldn't watch.<p>

"Alright, I'm up here, now what?" Clay asked, pretending to be irritated.

Leo grabbed her arm and tugged her over to the side of the roof. "Look."

He had turned her to where they could overlook the city. The lights glittered crazily and cars streamed in and out of the city along the interstate.

"It'd be better if it was wilderness, but you know, darn humans." Leo grinned. He pulled out his MP3 player again and handed an ear bud to Claire. "It won't be quite as loud this way."

She smiled and put it in her ear.

The two danced for a while to some slow songs before they got bored and cranked up a fast song, and Leo plugged in mini speakers. The pair kept dancing even when the songs changed before they began laughing at a song on the feline mutant's device.

"Seriously, you have some of the strangest music I've ever heard." Claire laughed, clutching her right side. The mix of laughter and heavy dancing was hurting her wound.

"Eh, Christian Rock and Rap, what can you expect?" He shrugged, jumping up onto the air conditioning unit behind them.

Leo couldn't help but think he should've listened to his brother. Claire Darth was a blast. He coolly watched her as she looked out from atop the roof. He noticed that now that she was wearing something sleeveless her arms were a lot more muscular than they first appeared to be. They were built somewhat like a softball player's, and she rubbed her wrists like she was used to something being there. He frowned, the action was familiar. Who else did he know that did that? He waved off the thought as she turned around.

"What?" Claire asked. Leo's amber eyes were fixed on her and it was making her uncomfortable.

He grinned. Her eyes glowed slightly in the dark. "Oh, nothing." Leo eyed the empty spot next to him. She rolled her eyes and hopped up beside him with grace.

"So what?"

Leo leaned back and looked up at the sky. It was inky black, but a bit illuminated by the city lights, making it difficult to see most of the stars.

"In my hometown you could always see the stars…" Clay whispered.

The boy looked over at her. "Where are you originally from?"

Claire looked surprised at the question. She hadn't meant to let anything like that slip. She _never_ talked about her hometown. Too many painful memories from there. Groaning, she shook her head. "Never mind." She mumbled.

Leo rubbed his goatee for a second before exclaiming: "Nebraska!"

The girl raised an eyebrow at him. "You can tell?" Apparently she couldn't get that state off of her.

"Well, I'm a bit of an expert on accents." Leo said nonchalantly. "You make your short 'a' sounds really harsh, a defining characteristic of Nebraskans."

"Really? What about other states?"

The mutant went on to explain a few other states, like how Texans didn't quite have the same southern draw as some other Southerners, but instead a softer version. He laughed when he started talking about some northern states like Wisconsin where 'bag' becomes 'behg'.

"How do you know all these things?" Claire asked, after laughing along with him.

Leo fiddled with his necklace. "Well, my mom was a bit of a linguistics nut, always talkin' about other accents…" His voice faltered.

"She's dead, isn't she?"

He nodded. He looked over at Claire and sighed. "You already know about that, don't you?"

She paused before nodding. "I may be a bit nosy around my father's files."

Leo chuckled, glancing back up at the sky. His gaze fell back to Claire, and he was struck with a crazy idea. Not really realizing what he was doing, the teen leaned over to her and pressed his lips against hers. The girl looked stunned for a second, her green eyes widening, before relaxing.

He pulled back suddenly, muttering. "Oh, gosh, I'm so sorry, I just—" He didn't finish.

Claire grabbed his chin and kissed him back. She wrapped her left arm around his neck and placed her other hand against his chest, touching the crystal. She found it odd that something would be vibrating in his chest, but energy was put out by it and was slightly drawn into her.

Leo was surprised by her actions, even more so by the pure power emitted by her hand when she touched the shirt above the crystal on his chest. He didn't want to think about that though, and pulled her closer to him. As he kissed her his mind drifted to the conversation he had with Logan only a few days before.

"_I want to do a lot of things. Go to the dance, find a girl, kiss her, marry somebody, have a few cubs…"_

Maybe Claire Darth would fit the role…

He'd be plenty happy if she did. There seemed to be a rawness to her, something none of the other girls he knew had. It was like she wanted someone to share things with, but she hadn't found them yet. He wanted to be that person.

Leo leaned back on the air conditioning unit, dragging her with him. He didn't realize he was so close to the edge until they both toppled off the side.

He groaned a little as he hit the ground hard, but he took most of the impact. Claire sat up and rubbed her head, trying not to laugh or lose control. Leo had sparked something in her she didn't know she had. Other guys had shared crushes with her, but Leo wasn't one of them. Her thoughts were a bit muddled and confused as Leo sat up and looked at her.

"Well… that was… something?"

"Uh, yeah…" She muttered.

A slight giggling/gagging noise came from elsewhere on the roof, and both mutants turned toward it. Clay resisted the urge to swear. She would kill Fenris and Wyvern later.

The feline mutant stood. "Someone there? It ain't too nice to spy!"

His outburst was greeted with silence.

"Listen, if you won't come out, I'll— ahh!" Leo shrieked in pain and clutched his ears.

"Leo! Ack!" Clay had started to rise when the sound reached her ears. She too clutched her ears and fell back down to the ground.

Wyvern sprung up from behind the metal box, looking to see what was wrong. Suddenly Rena yelped, her ears flattening against her head. She laid on the roof and tried covering her ears, but the pain was intense.

"Wh-what's going on?" Nico cried, looking at the three elder mutants shaking on the ground.

* * *

><p>"Cannon's been activated boss." A light-hearted voice laughed into a walkie-talkie.<p>

"Good," A voice over the device said soothingly. "Go now."

"With, pleasure!" Pyro exclaimed. He stood beside a metal device that looked very much like a laser cannon, but it was putting out a high-pitched sound wave. He was completely unaffected since his hearing was average, but that couldn't be said for everyone in the school.

* * *

><p>"Rena, Rena!" Nico shouted, trying to get her up. She whimpered and pawed at her ears.<p>

Somehow she managed to speak a simple statement, "Bad sound."

The young mutant ran over to Clay, who was taking the most damage from the sound. He'd never seen her like this, but she was nearly crying, her face scrunched up in pain and concentration. Her very skin vibrated, it lost its average skin tone and was now back to the gray-tan shade she had when not at school.

"Clay…"

"Go!" She grunted, managing to point toward the vent she and Leo had climbed through. "Get... squad! Portal… aaaghh!" She screamed. The pain was intense, her skin burned and shivered. It took nearly all her concentration just to keep her body intact.

Wyvern stood shakily and ran toward the open vent grate.

* * *

><p>The dance below was still going strong, but things were about to take a terrible turn.<p>

Zendi was dancing with a few of the other Haven mutants near a group of Institute students. They seemed to all be having fun, ignoring their close proximity and past history.

Very suddenly Zendi froze, a peculiar look spreading across her face. After a few seconds she clasped her hands over her ears and collapsed.

"Zen!" Portal cried, drawing the attention of those around her.

The Haven mutants hurried to her side, and Portal glared at the Institute kids near them.

"You!" She yelled over the music. The X-Men turned, Bobby, Amara, Tabitha, Ray and Sam. "What the hell did you do?" She grabbed Ray by the front of his shirt and glared into his eyes.

Others were starting to take notice, and the humans began clearing away. The elder X-Men noticed and jogged over, separating the two.

Rogue stood in between the groups as Enrique held Portal back.

"What the hell do ya think ya're doin'?"

Portal struggled against Enrique's calm grasp. "You did something to Knife!"

"Did not!" Kurt said, he and Amanda were nearby.

Portal stopped for a second and looked down at the Italian. "Then explain that!"

The X-Men followed her gaze and saw the tan girl sprawled on the floor, clutching her ears and her face scrunched up in pain. She was yelling something in Italian none of the mutants looked eager to translate.

Another scream and a yelp came from inside the crowd, causing more chaos among the students. Some cleared the way as the X-Men moved out to find those clutching their ears.

"Sionnach…" Enrique whispered. He'd looked over to the punch bowls and saw the teenager slumped against the white cloth table, his head down and hands placed firmly against his fox ears.

"What's going on?" Xander muttered, him and Portal were trying to lift Zendi up and move her out of the gym. Ash and Julian ran up, and assisted.

Rogue looked at Benj, who began to pale. "What is it?"

Benj grabbed her shoulder, as he gasped and almost toppled over. She wrapped an arm around him and steadied him. "Leo… something is _very _wrong."

By this time the gym was in absolute chaos. Students were running around asking questions, making it difficult for the X-Men and the Haven mutants to gather those in pain into a group. They finally succeeded and had a small group of about six students who were cringing and clutching their heads.

"Benj, scan their minds." Rogue said, taking charge.

He nodded and took a deep breath. He looked at Portal, who nodded, and he placed his hands on either side of Zendi's head. He extended a mental probe, and was met with a little bit of restitance at the start, but the normally impentatrible shield was weakened by Zendi's intense pain.

"It's a sound wave, something is affecting those with enhanced hearing." He said, standing. Benj himself looked like he was going to join them he was so pale.

The Haven mutants looked at each other in worry. An unspoken message passed between them, and Xander slumped suddenly. Portal caught his still form before he could hit the ground.

"What the—" Rogue started.

Portal grunted as she threw Xander into a chair, he didn't weigh much but dead weight is nothing to laugh at. "We would love to stay and chat, but we have things to do."

A spontaneous crash from above them drew their attention before they could leave. A silver form fell from an air duct vent, landing basically at their feet.

"Ack! Dragon!" A few people shrieked.

Nico picked himself up and brushed off some dust. "I would _not_ recommend that."

"What is it Wyvern?" Portal asked, ignoring his startling entrance. Ash appeared at his side quickly, leaving Julian very confused.

"On the roof, Rena… and—"

"Like them?" Portal pointed at Zendi and Sionnach.

"Worse." The boy responded.

* * *

><p>Pyro was scaling the wall of the building in order to reach the roof. He left the sound cannon back on the grass lawn behind the building and figured the mission would be very simple.<p>

He hauled himself onto the roof, muttering something about stupid school dances. He scanned it quickly and saw the form he was looking for.

"Well there, Shelia, I guess this is our rematch." He laughed, flames spiraling out from his dual flamethrowers strapped to his wrists. "Too bad ya ain't up for the fight!"

The flames stopped and he continued on, kicking Rena's whimpering form aside when she tried to rise.

Leo noticed him as well but was unable to move. The pain of the sound was worse for him than it was to Rena due to his healing factor. Imagine your ear drums being blown out by a sonic boom, or a guy with a sharp pointy stick. Then imagine it healing, then as soon as it heals seconds later the boom happens again, or the man stabs you in the ear again. Yeah, that's how Leo felt.

The Aussie crouched next to Claire Darth and scooped her up into his arms. "Now see, no fight, no worries, eh?" He laughed. "Sound cannons, who knew?"

Pyro frowned. He wasn't sure why he'd said sound cannon, but he shrugged it off thinking it was nothing.

_Yeah right, I'm not nothing!_

The Acolyte jumped. He laid Clay on the edge of the roof, she was now unconscious and limb. The sound had done its job.

"Who's there!" He yelled, whirling around in a circle.

Xander Green smiled, well his "ghost"-self smiled. His mind was extended out into the Astral Plane, where his body took shape. It left his physical body vulnerable, but he left himself in capable hands.

Whisper floated behind Pyro, to him and probably telepaths that extended their minds into the Astral Plane he looked just like himself, only tinted light blue. He kind of figured he looked like a ghost Jedi from Star Wars, or maybe a hologram. He fished around inside himself and summoned some of his emotions.

Honestly, he was pissed off. This clown was messing with his family, and he didn't take that lightly.

"_TURN IT OFF!" _He shouted at Pyro.

The fiery mutant froze like he was making up his mind. Slowly he drew a small remote out of his pocket and pressed a button in the center.

The tension in the air lifted, and Leo dragged himself up. He was surprised to see a man with orange-ish blonde spikey hair, wearing a red and orange suit.

"Who the hell are you?" He asked groggily.

His question snapped Pyro back to reality. He stared at the remote in his hand, and then swore. "I ain't of no worry to you!" He cackled and released flames from his pack.

Leo's eyes widened and he rolled aside as a flaming rhino charged at him. "You seem worrisome to me…" He muttered. He glanced around and saw Claire's still form draped over the edge of the roof, her arms touching the roof and legs dangling over the side. Fire burned inside of him as he turned on Pyro. With a wild roar he leapt at him and knocked him to the ground.

Pyro stopped laughing. He struggled under the teen's arms, but Leo shifted quickly adding intense weight to his hold on Pyro.

"Ah, well if ya want to do it that way…" The man muttered, spreading the flames dancing on parts of the roof to engulf the whole roof. "Ya can't stop me know kid!"

Leo looked up in a panic, all Pyro needed. The Aussie kicked both legs into his chest, knocking the teen off of him and into the fire surrounding them. The man rose and dispelled some of the flames and calmly walked over to where he left Clay.

"Come on Shelia, we got to go."

"_Get up!" _A voice yelled into Leo's mind. The mutant's eyes snapped open and he looked around to see Pyro take Claire in his arms again and hook a cable to the rooftop.

The teen sprung up and shoved Pyro off the building, barely managing to grab Claire's arms.

"Waaah!" Pyro yelled, falling over the side of the school; luckily for him he'd already secured the cable around his waist so his fall came to a jerky stop a few feet from the ground. In typical Pyro fashion the man burst out laughing. He unclipped himself and stood on the ground, positioning himself directly beneath the two teens.

"Nice try, ahaha!" He cackled, pressing the button on the remote.

The screeching noise came back and sliced through Leo's ears again. He cried out in pain, but refused to drop Claire. The girl groaned and she came to, dangling in the air.

She almost screamed, but quickly composed herself. The sound hit her in waves, but somehow this time she remained strong.

"Hold… on!" Leo grunted, trying to haul her over the edge.

* * *

><p>"There!" Cloak pointed. He was leading a small group of mutants out of the school building to try and find this "sonic cannon".<p>

The group (Enrique, Portal, Kurt, and Kitty) sprinted out onto the grass. They stopped as the oldest mutant examined the machine. "Wow, this is very impressive."

"Less admiring, more stopping!" Kurt scolded. He really wanted to go back to the dance.

Kitty looked up and saw the roof on fire. "Uh… guys? I don't think we'll be going back into the dance!" The others looked up and cringed. Kitty tapped the white-haired teen on the shoulder. "May I?"

He stepped aside.

After a quick glance Kitty phased her hand through some of its circuitry. The machine sparked and smoked; then the cannon collapsed, accompanied by a whirling sound.

"We need to get everyone out of the gym!" Kitty shouted, dashing back to school building. Kurt followed.

"Go." Portal commanded to Enrique. "Help them out, I'll get Rena off the roof."

He nodded and followed the X-Men inside.

Portal waved her hand and a portal opened. She stepped through and arrived on the fiery roof, choking and sputtering.

"Fenris!" She shouted. It was nearly impossible to see anything through the smoke and flames. A small yip sounded a few feet away.

* * *

><p>Leo's grip was slipping. The piercing sound was making him loose concentration, and his senses were too sensitive in his lion shift. He shifted back to human, and struggled to keep from dropping the girl below him.<p>

Then… the sound stopped. His ears stopped crying out in pain.

Claire grasped his arms more firmly and hauled _herself_ up, using his arms like a rope. The mutant below shouted curses before running off.

She focused on making her skin look normal again, hopefully in the confusion Leo hadn't noticed. And then she noticed the fire. "Uh, Leo? We're on a flaming rooftop."

The boy nodded warily. "Yeah. There's that."

"You should've let me fall."

He shook his head. "Now don't talk like that, we need to go. _Now._"

"Good thing I'm here!" A strained voice behind them coughed. Portal half-carried, half-supported a girl with wolf ears and tail. Portia waved her hand wide and a portal opened at their feet. "Jump."

* * *

><p>Xavier and Logan arrived just in time to see kids stagger out of the school building. The roof was in flames, but Storm put a stop to that. The X-Van pulled up alongside the curb and the adults watched the students emerge.<p>

Many were on cell phones yelling things, but a lot just looked dazed. The X-Men helped those that were crippled by the sonic cannon walk over to the X-Van, where Jean and the professor were calming them down and inspecting their ears.

Leo, Claire, Portal, and Rena staggered over to the van. Leo nearly collapsed, exhausted and angry, but instead he just sat on the curb. Claire sat next to him, and placed a hand on his charred shoulder.

She nodded at Portal who was straining to keep Rena upright. The curly haired girl nodded in return, and looked back at the school.

The rest of their squad was emerging just then, Enrique was supporting Sionnach, and Xander was helping Zendi along. Sionnach looked like he was going to die (not literally, of course), a mix of pain and bizarre happiness etched on his face.

"Professor Xavier?" Portia asked quietly, her voice raspy from the smoke. Rain was falling heavily now and students were running for cover under the trees.

The man looked up at her, a caring smile on his face. "Miss Manderson, I'm glad to see you okay."

"Thank you… sir." She coughed. "I'd like to make a report to you on what happened."

He nodded, then glanced at the girl leaning against her. "Do you need medical attention?"

"She does, but Ash can handle it." Portal stated. She looked back to the school were Ashley and Julian were running toward them. "Rena…" She whispered softly. "You gotta morph."

Rena shrunk instantly into her wolf-dog form and laid on the sidewalk. Ash ran up to her side and took a deep breath.

Reaching her hands out, they became encompassed in a purple glow which extended and surrounded parts of the wolf-dog's body. Julian was watching with intense curiosity as Ash continued her healing process.

The purple glow retreated from Rena's body and flashed in the exact same spots on Ash's form. She had a quick intake of breath and the girl gritted her teeth.

"Amazing…" Xavier breathed.

Portal nodded. "Ash is the best there is, but there's always a cost."

The small girl's face was extremely pale, and she trembled slightly. Julian knelt beside her and grasped her hand.

Xavier nodded. "Thank you for your help."

She shook her head. "Think nothing of it, we're not the bad guys, you know?" Portal glanced around her, the Haven mutants had assembled together. "I believe I'll be seein' you tomorrow." She smiled and bowed, a portal opening behind the group.

Rena got up, surprisingly fine and nosed Ash. The small girl squeezed Julian's hand and shook her head.

The other mutants left.

Claire watched them go and sighed. The night had been insane. She looked at Leo, who was staring off into the distance.

She grabbed his hand, and then stood, forcing him up. Leo met her eyes.

"Thanks for everything…" She muttered, kissing him on the cheek. "Next time, let's not have supersonics." She walked away to where Principal stood watching.

He stared and absently watched them walk over to a sleek black car.

"Sooo, you and Claire?" Benj came up next to him and asked the question.

"I'm so dead."

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><p><strong>Silly Leo, this isn't going to end well. Yeah romance? Pheh, who cares? Crazy Pyro? MUCH MORE FUN!<strong>

**What some of you are calling: "Breaking point" is only a few chapters away. Two, maybe three. I might take longer updating because I'll probably put it down on paper then work toward getting there.**

**Oh and that song? _Supersonic _by Family Force 5.**

(And because some asked: A Runza is a specialty sandwich kinda sorta thing at a fast food restaurant called Runza, and it's only found in Nebraska. At the tables there and on the back of receits are stories of silly people who drive/fly all the way to Nebraska just to have one. It's understandable that if you aren't from, or have never been to Nebraska it would just make no sense. I visit quite often and felt adding that in would be delightfully hilarious for some.)

**~Keep writing strong.**


	28. Chapter 27: The Mysteries Begin

**Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men, they belong to Marvel. OCs are all written up on my profile as to who they go to (I now have micro summaries for mine as well).**

**Author's note:** The wimpy bridge returns!

Anyone remember that? Wimpy Bridge, AKA For A While? Eh, eh? No... oh well that was a a reference to chapter 4. It's kinda a short chapter, but it's all working up to a big moment in the next two chapters.

I have a lot to say to you in the note at the end.

**Enjoy. Read. Review.**

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><p>"I don't trust that girl, Chuck.' Logan said gruffly, as the two men watched Portia Manderson walk out the front gates. A car pulled up and Logan caught a glimpse of his current least favorite reptile. Mr. Severus and Logan shared a glance for a second. The gruff man sneered and Seth merely blinked. Portia opened the passenger side door and hopped in, waving and smirking back at the professor and Wolverine.<p>

He snarled. The professor put a hand on his arm. "Relax, old friend. Her intentions were genuine, though she is growing better at shielding her mind." The professor sighed. "That much is worrisome. They do not completely trust our intentions."

"Well I sure as hell don't trust theirs." Logan grumbled.

The pair watched the car drive off. They had just received Portal's "report" about the night before. She gave additional details about the machine the X-Men hadn't known, namely the frequency used. Whether that was a test of their character to see whether or not they would use it against the Haven mutants they couldn't be sure. It was a powerful weapon to entrust to people they didn't completely trust.

"Well what do we do now?"

Xavier sighed. "I don't know. I guess there's nothing more to do, but go on with our daily lives."

Logan smirked. "So that means a round of Danger Room sessions. I'm sure the kids will love that."

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><p>Principal Darth woke up a little bit stiff. Since the dance was the night before he and Claire had stayed in the small house he owned in the suburbs of Bayville. Most nights he stayed there, but occasionally his daughter did too. She hated it normally, but she was pretty shaken up (physically and mentally) and was in no mood for teleporting.<p>

The man stretched and got out of bed. Like his daughter he didn't bother to personalize much, anything could be a temporary residence. All the times they'd moved around proved that. The walls were painted a dim green, and there was an ebony dresser with a mirror against a wall. A matching nightstand stood beside the full-sized bed with equally black headboards and dark gray sheets.

The house only had one floor and a tiny basement. It was pretty modest, Nick put most of his money into trying to supply the Haven, but with their increasing numbers it was becoming difficult. Caring for nearly two hundred teenagers and young adults proved to be a challenge. And now with his added responsibilities as the principal at Bayville High he was losing touch fast with the institution he had worked so hard to set up.

He walked down the hall and ducked his head inside Claire's room. The girl wasn't there, so he continued on. He entered the kitchen, which was simple; the cooking area and dining area was separated by a white counter, and the table and chairs were cheap.

Grinning he leaned against the wall in the doorway and watched his daughter. Clay was sitting at the table with a bowl of cereal, absorbed in the newspaper. She was too mature for her own good sometimes.

"Morning." Nick said sweetly, walking over to the life force of all morning wakers: the coffee machine. She had started it up and a cup of coffee was sitting there waiting for him. "You're really the best daughter ever." He laughed, picking up his cup of Joe.

"Mmmhmm." She hummed, not looking up.

Nick came and joined her at the table, peering over her shoulder at the paper. She twitched a little.

"You know I hate it when people read over my shoulder, Nick."

He smiled. "I know."

She looked up irritated. "Then why do you do it?"

He shrugged and leaned back in his chair.

Claire huffed and folded up the paper. She shuddered and her currently normal-toned skin tinged gray before reverting back. "Oh God, uck."

Darth placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Not really." She whispered, hugging her arms.

Her father frowned, removing his hand, and looking her in the eyes. "That was some dance, huh?"

"You have no idea, Nick."

"No I don't, want to let me in?"

Clay got her far-off look and then lowered her head. Darth already knew what happened, but he was giving her the chance to explain things from her point-of-view. "There was some sort of sound device, the thing emitted a frequency that crippled those with enhanced healing and made me lose my form. You know intense vibrations can cause my shape-shifting to work against me… but this frequency literally tore me apart. P-pyro from Magneto tried to take me, I can only imagine what the hell he would've done. Would've had me too if it wasn't for Leo—" She paused, her eyes flashing.

Darth's face was perplexed. A mix of fatherly protection, keen curiosity, and amusement. "Leo… the boy you were with after the dance, right? Leo Dyson… are you two—?"

"Uhhh." She looked away from him and rubbed her forearms. Surprisingly her bronze wrist guards were there, an odd addition to her flannel pajamas. "Well I mean… uhh…"

Nick couldn't help but laugh. "You kissed him! You did, it's all over your face!" His comment made him seem younger, more like the man Clay had known for so long.

She glared angrily at him, but she blushed. "Shut up, shut up! Nicholas Darth, you are intolerable!"

He continued to laugh, his suspicions confirmed. "This is great! My little Claire, and Leo."

She was too busy being embarrassed by him to care about the name slip. She buried her head in her hands. "Oh God, this is not happening!"

Her father stopped laughing, but kept a humorous air. "This is truly fantastic. Who would have thought! You're always so bottled up. I hope he works for you, because I think this can work for us."

Claire frowned. "What do you mean?"

He looked excited. "The visions we've had, Leo is the key for our survival! If we keep him close—"

"Woah, wait right there!" Clay interrupted, her tone fiery. "I am not with him just for that, I made a connection with him…" Darth fought off a laugh. "NOT LIKE THAT!" She shouted, punching him in the arm. "I swear, I'm more mature than you sometimes Nick." The girl grumbled. "I'm not going to go out with him just so we have a strategic advantage. I just… it would be nice to have someone beside you, you know? To have support…"

"A face to kiss." Darth whispered, earning another punch from his daughter.

"I swear, I _will_ slit your throat." She growled, her gaze was nearly enough to kill all by itself. "This conversation is so done."

Darth chuckled, and watched her grab the newspaper again. He reached out and brushed a stray strand of hair from her face. "You know I only tease because I love. I only want what's best for you, and Leo may prove to be as such."

* * *

><p>Leo wouldn't say he was stalking… <em>but<em>… he was stalking. What happened at the dance had surprised him. Was Claire Darth really into him, or had it just been…

_Come on, you're a ladies man. Why are you so wigged over this?_ Leo swore at himself.

He peered around a corner in the school hallway. He'd been following Claire around all day. Again, he was so stalking, but he was honestly interested in what the heck the girl had done with his heart.

Claire was talking with another girl by the lockers, who he recognized as Zendi Idnez, AKA Knife. He found that a little odd. Claire was an upperclassman, and he was pretty sure Zendi was a sophomore. Interaction was a bit less likely between the two, but then again he had made friends with Ashley Wolfe, who was a freshman. Well he had been friends with her… things were weird now that she was openly Haven.

That made him think of Enrique, and he scowled. He didn't like that they kept things from him; but he hated that it put a wrench in his friendship with the boy. It made for awfully awkward Biology classes.

Anyways he just kind of watched from around the corner, waiting for Claire to walk off by herself.

Zendi lightly punched Claire in the shoulder. "So you made a move on Leo, I hear."

Claire rolled her green eyes. "Honestly Zen, why do I ever tell you things?"

The tan girl laughed and made a kissing face. "You and Leo, aww." She stumbled a little back as Claire shoved her playfully. "I have to say though, you're taste ain't that bad. He's incredibly muscular, and man is he funny!"

"I'm going to die…" Claire hissed, banging her head against the lockers.

Her friend laughed. "Everyone seems pretty thrilled for you. Maybe they're hoping you'll start going easy on us! How terribly wrong they will be."

The girl glared at her, stopping her head mid-bang. "If I have to hear one more quip from Fox-Face, I will gut him."

Zendi's face fell a little, and she lowered her voice. The school day was ending, so more students filled the halls preparing for their departures. "You don't realize why he's doing that?"

The green-eyed girl stood up straight and blinked. "What do you mean?"

"You've really been out of it. I know you've been stressed, but pay a little more attention to your friends, or you'll lose touch like your father." Zendi shook her head, and muttered something in Italian. "He's doing it for Enrique."

"Uh, that makes no sense." Claire stated, utterly confused.

Zendi sighed. "Let's talk about this later." A grin grew across her face. "Your stalker is right behind us."

"What?" Then she saw Leo staring at them. She face-palmed. "Go Zen, and don't let me catch you sticking to the ceiling like some sorta spider-girl."

The Italian grinned hugely and gave her a look as she walked on.

As more students walked by Claire called out. "You gonna come out stalker-boy?"

Leo's face burned. He shuffled toward her. "I uh, I wasn't—"

"Shut it." She stopped him.

_And she's back._ Leo groaned. It appeared that Claire had a bit of a school persona.

She sighed. "I'm sorry." She rubbed her wrists. "It's just—"

Leo grabbed her hand. "Were you avoiding me this weekend? I wanted to talk about what happened, are you okay?"

Claire blinked. "Uh, no. I was havin' a weekend with my father. No cellphones." She brought her eyebrows together. "Were you worried about me?"

The boy didn't meet her eyes, and stared at their hands. "Well I mean, you seemed pretty shaken up. From where I was it looked like you were falling apart."

She rubbed the back of her neck. "I kinda was. Listen, Leo…" She paused. "Do you want to go somewhere?"

He smiled. "Do you promise to be that girl from the dance?"

Claire laughed. "I suppose so, sorry… I've just had a hectic past few weeks. My friends would say I deserve some fun."

"Like Zendi?" Leo asked, waiting to judge her reaction.

Her face remained blank. "Yeah, she's the one who really makes a big deal of it."

"Well let's get going then! Wait, dang it! I have work after school." His face fell slightly.

"It's okay, some other time?"

"Yeah… I guess…" He turned to leave, but Claire pulled him back. She kissed the short mutant then gave him a push.

"Go on, see ya later."

He smirked, and backed away bowing. "As you wish, my lady."

She snorted. "Go, before I change my mind."

* * *

><p>The Dyson's yellow truck pulled into the zoo parking lot. Leo jumped out basically the second it came to a stop, and bolted for the employee entrance. His good mood was bound to be catching.<p>

The teen bounded to the entrance and waited to be let in. Two familiar faces made their way over to him.

"Misssster Dyssson. Ssso good to sssee you again." Mr. Severus hissed. There was a toothless smile on his face.

Mr. Walkman accompanied him. "Welcome back Leo. I hope you still remember how to do your job."

"Of course I do. Thank you for the second chance!"

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><p>A deep growl rumbled through the dark room. There was a funny scream, and an orange and red figure was tossed into the center of the metallic room. One light glowed from the ceiling, casting its meager glow onto a metal chair.<p>

"Hey, watch it there Sabretooth! This costume is rather pricy!" Pyro. He brushed himself off as he stood. There were several tears in his uniform, and the lines connecting his fists to the fuel supply on his back were severed.

"Well, well. You failed me again, Pyro." A dark voice echoed behind him.

Pyro froze, fear creeping into his eyes. He coughed. "Uh, hey there Magneto. Believe it or not I was just on my way—"

"Silence!"

The pyromaniac cringed and shut up.

Sabretooth growled from somewhere within the shadows. "You should have sent me, I wouldn't have failed you."

"Quiet now. We have another plan, sadly I feared this would occur." Magneto stepped out of the shadows, levitating just off the ground. "Your failure will not hinder us. We move on."

Pyro couldn't help but get an icky feeling all over. Some of Magneto's plans bothered him, even if he got to play with fire. What he saw next only confirmed his feelings.

A pair of yellow eyes glowed out of the dark behind the Master of Magnetism.

"No…" Pyro whispered, backing up. He crashed into Sabretooth. "Ya outa be dead!"

"Hmm, like I've never heard that one before." A female voice crooned. "But I have a job to finish."

* * *

><p><strong>Make your guesses now. You should all know who that voice is ^.<strong>

**Anyways, the next chapter will most likely be slightly point-of-view of Rogue. Also chapter 29 is already written, I'm just polishing it up.**

**On that note:**

**IT'LL BE A DOUBLE UPDATE NEXT! YAY! Ain't that grand? Now a warning: When I put the chapters up there will be no author's notes on chap 29, I'll explain why later. Also if you don't want to be left at a horrible cliff hanger for a few weeks, wait to read chapter 29 ("breaking pt") until after I have chapter 30 up. I will be focusing on Haven Origins after 29 goes up and I'll hopefully finish everyone's stories.**

**Your going to have a lot of questions after my next update, but bear with me. I won't leave you hanging forever.**


	29. Chapter 28: A Change of Hearts

**Disclaimer: The X-Men/Brotherhood aren't mine, they're Marvels. Claire and Nick Darth are.**

**Author's note: **Whahaha!

And this is why you should never have caffeine late at night. Oh well one of my fastest updates, and you're in luck There's a bonus chapter! WAHOO! This chapter is told primarily through Rogue's "point-of-view", or maybe I should say thoughts, because it's all third person. It was a lot of fun to write, I got to analyze my characters through another's viewpoint.

(This chapter **is not** the one with the awful cliff hanger. The next is. This just has the typical end-of-chapter cliff hanger.)

**Read. Review. Enjoy. (wait... that's out of order...)**

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><p>The days were whizzing by fast. Rogue <em>did not<em> like that. The Institute students just finished worrying about Midterms, only now to turn around and start thinking about their quickly approaching Finals. It was a bit more for Rogue though, this was her last year, she was a senior. It was starting to come time to start thinking about decisions for her future. She'd talked with Professor Xavier a few times about it, but she couldn't figure anything out.

Rogue sighed and slammed her math book shut. She sat back at the desk in her room and rubbed the bridge of her nose. Apparently teachers didn't care if you were an X-Man and had perilous Danger Room sessions on top of homework.

Not like that was the biggest of her worries. Things had been quiet for the last few weeks, and _that _is what worried her. No Brotherhood, no Haven, hell, no humans! And the silence bothered her more than the noise.

It wasn't just the trouble makers being silent, it was the Dyson brothers. They _always _got into trouble. It was a part of their wiring. At least that's what Rogue figured. Leo had a knack for it. But the last few weeks he'd actually been trying to patch things up with some of the kids at the Xavier Institute that he'd made tiny enemies of. Really, he and Bobby were… almost friendly. It was strange, no weird. Weird is good, strange is bad (~Fitch, The Warrior Heir).

She supposed maybe it was just the video games. The two were starting to actually work together in that, and they were recently paired together in a Danger Room session. Believe it or not neither received any injures due to each other's protection; and there were a lot of moments where the other could have "accidently" let the other get hurt.

Of course Leo was having no luck with Ray, that boy could hold a grudge.

And then there was Claire Darth. She actually visited the Institute, to see Leo. The boy was overjoyed. Rogue thought they were a bit of a strange couple. Claire seemed very edgy and private, Leo… well maybe they weren't that different. Everyone knew she was a mutant, but she left them guessing on what she could do. She declined an offer from Xavier to bring her father and do a tour, and also a simple lesson request. Maybe she was a vampire… that would be a gift to hide.

Rogue groaned. Too much supernatural reading. Her thoughts had a mind of her own.

Yet most worrying was Benj. Now _he_ was acting strange. Every time they began to have a moment he pulled away. He was rejecting physical contact, giving up on his reckless attempts to kiss her. Maybe the professor had gotten to him. Or Logan. Yeah, she'll blame Logan; he probably threatened to kill him. She'd have to talk to him about that.

As far as Rogue knew, Kurt was having troubles with Amanda. She knew her parents didn't know about them, still… somehow. How oblivious could parents get? Yikes, they'd have to suspect _something._ Kurt was especially jumpy, and occasionally yelled out things like: "Ack! I wanted to tell you! Oh, oh it's just you…" Yeah, like Amanda's parents would ambush him at the Institute. Actually, maybe they would… their daughter was dating an off-limits mutant and the closest thing to parents Kurt had in town was the professor. Ah, whatever, that was Kurt's issue. Rogue thought that maybe he should just tell them, but after it being in the dark for so long? That would _not_ go over smoothly.

Kitty and Lance. _Blehk. Mushy._ All the time. It was obnoxious. And Kitty knew how to do obnoxious to perfection. But she seemed upset after she saw him, and the Institute was catching on. The younger mutants and Scott were having a cow. Scott especially. "Dating the enemy… _blah blah __**blah.**_" Ugh, Rogue was glad that wasn't her. It'd be like her dating Gambit. That dumbass. Jean was… nice… supportive… _annoying._ Benj had this great idea: "Rogue try to get along with Jean. It couldn't be that bad."

Maybe… maybe. Really, she only hated her because she got Scott. Rogue had Benj, he was at least returning her feelings, well was. Something was up with him. It bugged her. Anyways, Jean. That girl got everything. No, maybe she could at least _try_ to get along more with her. Or she could continue to avoid conversation so nothing came up. Yeah, that strategy had worked so far, she would stick to it.

Who else? Oh yeah, Scott. Rogue didn't see him too much; she was a bit swamped with school. He apparently was too, and Danger Room sessions, and his new obsession of documenting everything they knew about the Haven. It wasn't all that bad, he'd figured out a lot. He was always there for the mutant meetings. It was scary how much he was observing. Like how Ashley was dating Julian Hans, a definite not Haven member. Or that Portia and Sionnach despised each other, even though she'd never heard them speak a work to each other during a meeting. Or that there was always a lack of a Clay Dune. Personally, Rogue didn't care about the Haven. Sure they'd caused some trouble, but they never _really_ hurt anyone. Except Storm, but she was fine now. The venom was temporary, which somehow she knew they knew. A few times she'd seen a suspicious dog waiting outside the school building with no tags. It looked familiar at first, and then Rogue realized it was that wolf-dog girl, the one who could create sound waves. That was… odd. It was weird to see her there, a lot of students noticed her but she only moved when a Haven member came up.

It made Rogue think of Rahne, or Wolfsbane, and it made her a little sad. None of the X-Men had seen her in months, although Jamie stayed in frequent electronic contact. She was having a tough time at home; she had made her way into several newspapers when the original mutant incident happened. Apparently, a lot of people were unwilling to forget that. Sadly, her parents were still unwilling to allow her to return to the Institute. Rahne called a few days before and asked Xavier to try and persuade her parents, but even with the professor's calming words they weren't swayed. Beast was going to make a trip out to her home, to talk with them soon. But with Thanksgiving coming up the trip might be delayed.

Speaking of Thanksgiving… a new plan had been formed. Students were going to invite immediate family to the Institute to celebrate the weekend before, and then go home with their families. Xavier was covering costs where needed. It was a good idea, there were several students who wouldn't be able to head home. Leo, Benj, Tyler, Rogue, Piotr (Colossus), and Kurt were among them. Kurt's parents were coming to the States for the celebration, but American Thanksgiving wasn't exactly a "German" event. The blue boy was thrilled though, he hadn't seen his parents in person for a long while. Colossus had located his family with the professor's help, but they didn't speak a ton of English. He didn't want them to feel uncomfortable, and "You are my family too, yes?"

Rogue wasn't really looking forward to Thanksgiving. It was an awkward time for her. She had no clue who her real parents were, she _did not_ want Mystique to ever show her face again, and she hadn't left things on the best of terms with Irene. Kurt, Benj, and the professor thought that she should try and invite the woman that had cared for her for so long, but… Rogue was having trouble trying to imagine it.

She couldn't just… walk up to Irene and say: "Sorry, ya wanna come ta Thanksgivin'… even though ya handed me ovah to Mystique?" Yes, brilliant plan!

_Ugh. Awful. Purely awful._

Rogue stood up from her desk chair and unceremoniously flopped down on her bed. It was getting late, she had a test in the morning, and a test at the end of the day. If she didn't stop her spinning mind now, she would never sleep. She'd just get up early and finish that stupid math homework. Or maybe she'd copy someone else's. Oh wait, no one was in her math class. She groaned and rolled over to look at the clock.

10:47. Not too bad, unless you had to get up early. Which she did! The joys of early morning Danger Room sessions! Maybe she could ask to be excused. Rogue played that situation over in her mind:

"_Hey Logan, can Ah talk ta ya?"_

"_Sure kid."_

"_Can Ah __**not**__ participate in the Danger Room session in the morning?"_

"_Ha. AHAHAHA! Nice try, Rogue. __No exceptions."_

"_Damn it, Logan. Ah have a test in the morning!"_

"_So? I have to deal with kids in the morning."_

_Sigh._ It was never happening. She was just going to die. That would show Logan.

She groaned again. No, dying wouldn't help. Somehow Wolverine would chase her to the afterlife and drag her sorry ass back.

Maybe she shouldn't have drunk that coffee.

"Pssst! Rogue!"

"Ahh!" Rogue screamed, shooting straight up. She looked bewildered around. Kitty was poking her head through the wall. "Gawd Kitty, are ya _tryin' _to kill me?"

"I can't sleep, so I wanted to see if, like, you were still up, you know?" Kitty explained timidly.

Rogue fell back on her bed and exhaled. "Next time, pretend Ah'm asleep."

Kitty phased the rest of the way through the wall and jumped on Rogue's bed. The goth narrowed her eyes at her.

"Ya're supposed to be pretendin' Ah'm asleep."

"You said next time."

"Argh!" Rogue threw her hands up. "Fine, what is it?"

Kitty sat at the end of the other girl's bed and stared at her feet. Rogue noticed her surprising quietness and sat up. Something was on her mind.

"Well, uh… like…" Kitty muttered, then she sniffed.

_Uh oh, bad sign #1._

"Lance… he…"

_Bad sign #2._

Rogue shifted positions on the bed so she was sitting alongside her friend.

Kitty had her hands folded in her lap. A tear splashed against her skin.

_Bad sign #3. And now all Hell breaks loose._

"He c-called to s-s-say…" She turned her face to Rogue. Her eyes were watery and beginning to get bloodshot. "…He broke up with me, Rogue!" She shouted angrily. She let out a sour laugh. "Like, he couldn't even say it to my face, you know?"

"That boy's always been spineless…" Rogue muttered. Now Rogue wasn't good at "comforting". But like any good friend she tried her best. "Ah don't get it, what happened?"

"I don't even know!" She choked. More tears fell down her face. "I thought… I thought…"

"He loved ya?" Kitty leaned into Rogue and sobbed into her shoulder. Rogue wrapped an arm around her. "He did, Kit… he really did…"

It made no more sense to her than it did to the young Pryde. What the hell happened between her and Lance? Brotherhood business? He hadn't let that come between them before, unless… if Magneto found out. He probably would have ordered Lance to sever his ties to the X-Men. Maybe she would just have to "accidently" bump into him during the school day, find out what was in his mind.

Kitty continued to cry, and Rogue suppressed a groan. Now she was definitely not getting any sleep. Of course this reason was more worth it.

After some time Kitty did fall asleep on the other girl's shoulder. Rogue was too exhausted to move her anywhere so she laid Kitty down on her bed and fell asleep next to her.

Before her vision blurred into that which accompanies sleep she saw her clock read 1:40.

_Greeeeat._

* * *

><p>Have you ever wondered what a Danger Room session is like with only four hours of sleep?<p>

Well it's not recommended.

Rogue hit her alarm at least five times before realizing she'd actually have to get up. Last time Logan had actually bashed her door in and dragged her into a Danger Room session when she didn't show up on time. No one else really got that "special" treatment, but Rogue decided to take it as a sign of his affection.

Right, _affection._

The tired girl rolled (literally) out of bed and onto the floor. It took a few minutes before her vision stopped being so blurry, and she got up and threw on her uniform. With dread she turned back to her bed.

Kitty was still passed out, her arms flung crazily around on her bed, well _Rogue's_ bed. Now that was a wakeup call: being slapped in the middle of the night by Shadowcat.

Rogue groaned, switching her gloves to her combat gloves and then grabbed Kitty by her feet.

"Get up, Kit. We got a Dangah Room session. And _Ah_ am not really in the mood to explain why _ya're_ sleepin' in _mah_ bed."

The girl groaned and muttered something about five more minutes. Rogue rolled her eyes and dragged the half-asleep girl off the bed. Kitty hit the ground with a jolt and she sat upright.

"Like, _ow!_ Why would you do that?"

Rogue rolled her eyes. She was _not_ a morning person. "Like, maybe because we, like, have a Dangah Room session." She said perkily and imitating Kitty's voice.

Kitty looked insulted for a second and then her expression fell into hurt. She brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. "Do you think you could get me excused? I… I don't think I can do a DR session this morning, you know?"

"Kit, Ah—"

She turned her eyes up to Rogue and pulled the saddest face ever. Rogue sighed. "Fine. Ya're sick. Go back ta bed… And Ah mean, _yar_ bed!"

Kitty sprung up and wrapped her arms around Rogue's neck. The goth stiffened, and then hugged her back. It would've been nicer if Kitty hadn't ended it by phasing through Rogue's body and into her room next door. **That** basically ruined it.

* * *

><p>Logan didn't buy it, but he had his hands full with the rest of the team.<p>

Rogue failed miserably at her task. Miserably. And then… onto school.

Test in the morning? Disaster. Rogue dozed off halfway during it, and ran out of time to complete it.

A call home to her… professor? Fantastic! A lecture awaited her back at the Institute.

Somehow, just somehow, Rogue managed to drag herself through the day to Chemistry. Now maybe she was expecting some sympathy from her friend Claire. But apparently Claire had other ideas.

The second Rogue sat down Claire stiffened in her seat. The girl slowly turned to look at her, a slightly frightened look in her eyes quickly fading.

_Weird, no not weird. Plan old strange._

"Hey, uh… are you alright? You look like you died."

"Thanks…" Rogue muttered, grabbing her pencil out of her bag. "Good ta see ya too."

Claire continued to look at Rogue like she expected her to notice or say something. _Sorry, I'm not all here today._ Rogue thought to herself.

The girl finally shrugged and glanced up at the teacher. A smirk inched across her face. The teacher caught her eye and stood up straighter.

"Miss Darth, _a word_." He commanded. The whole class looked up, though the bell hadn't rang yet, and watched with interest.

The green-eyed girl got up and walked over to him. The smirk was still on her face.

"Now Miss Darth, I've been getting some complaints from your other teachers." He started. "You've been acting up in class today and I am going to tell you know I will **not** put up with any funny business. It doesn't matter if your father is the principal, I will send you to talk to him."

Claire's face paled, and the smirk left. But… it was an unnatural paling, almost like she had changed her skin tone.

The teacher smiled at her reaction. "Good, we're clear then. Take your seat. This is your only warning."

_And let the bad sign count start again._

The girl walked back, slowly regaining her color as she went. Her eyes brushed over Rogue and the smirk returned.

"Is something goin' on, Claire?"

She shook her head. "Nah, just havin' some fun today. My dad's—" She stopped. Looking over at Rogue she frowned. "It's hard to get some people's attention some times."

_Odd reply…_

Something was wrong. Rogue was getting that especially ominous feeling that was normally reserved for encounters with Magneto, Mystique, and whenever Leo was acting strange.

The bell rang. Their teacher walked to the front of the classroom and handed out the test packets.

"You have until the end of the hour to finish. There will be no talking of any sort, if I so much as hear a whisper you're out of here. Got it?"

The students murmured an agreement.

"You may begin."

Almost immediately Claire stood up. "I'm _not_ taking this test."

Rogue looked up and hissed. "What the hell are ya doin'? Sit down!"

She looked down at the goth and smirked, before looking back at the teacher. "I don't feel like it."

"Enough! I was warned this was how you were acting today. Miss Darth, why don't you go speak with your father, the principal?" Their Chemistry teacher spoke up. He seemed angry.

_Out of character. Claire usually has her head on…_ Rogue thought.

Claire Darth turned to leave, and Rogue thought she heard her whisper in a voice that was definitely not her own, "_Finally!_"

Now out of respect for the system, let's just call that _Bad Sign #4._

Rogue couldn't believe what just happened. Of course the ever growing suspicious and ominous feeling she was getting wasn't helping. She tried to go back and focus on her test, she couldn't really afford another bad report at the moment.

Then again, life has a funny way of intervening.

A few minutes after Claire had left, the door to the classroom flew wide open and actually splintered a little as it crashed into the wall. The class looked up, a few freaked out shrieks echoed the room, and saw Claire Darth standing there.

But it wasn't the Claire Darth that had just left a few minutes ago. This one looked frantic. Her hair was tied back in a hasty ponytail, but it still looked like it had gotten attacked by an angry bird. The white T-shirt she was wearing was smudged with dirt, the gray hoodie over top was ripped along the sleeves, where some sort of metal brace glinted underneath. Her jeans were torn and slashed. Basically it looked like she had been jumped in an alley.

"I'm so sorry Mr. Jones, I was on my way to school and—"

"_Miss _Darth! I thought I just sent you to the principal's office!" The Chemistry teacher cried, bewildered. He stood up from behind his desk.

Claire's eyes widened in shock. "Th-that's not possible sir, I only just got here."

"Then who… this doesn't make any sense young lady."

Rogue managed to meet the other girl's eyes. She was really freaked out, her bright eyes flickering like mad.

It made sense now. The odd behavior, that smirk Claire had earlier… the feeling in her gut she had. And Claire had called Darth her dad, not her father. The small word change was uncharacteristic.

"Mystique…" Rogue growled. She stood up. "Uh, Mr. Jones, Ah'll escort her back ta the office… and make sure she stays there."

The teacher probably would've liked to say he didn't want her to go, but where was the harm in letting a mutant escort another mutant out of his classroom.

"I… I guess, but Rogue, please try to return to finish your test?"

The teacher didn't even have time to say anything more before the pair was out of the room.

* * *

><p>The two girls were sprinting down the hall, Rogue asking questions and Claire answering them.<p>

"So wha' happened?"

Claire sighed, a teacher was walking down the hall. The two slowed and tried to look casual. "I, er, was taking a short cut on the way to school and someone jumped me."

"An alley? Please don't tell me ya were that stupid."

She didn't reply.

"Ya were! Gawd Claire!"

"But someone replaced me, why… why would someone do that?" Rogue could tell that her mind was spinning fast.

It didn't make any sense, Claire wasn't some important mutant. She was just a teenager. Why would Mystique want to impersonate her?

The two reached the office. The secretary looked up in confusion.

"Claire? But you just—"

"Did I go into the office?"

The secretary shook her head, trying to figure out what was going on. "Yes, but you're out here… and…"

"Thanks." Claire said hurriedly. She ran up to her father's office door. The doorknob jiggled but the door didn't open. "Damn, locked!" She looked at Rogue. "You don't happen to have a super helpful power here, do you?"

"Only if we found The Blob. But ya know, no powahs in school."

Claire sighed, lining up her shoulder with the door and backing up a few feet. "Let's see if this works…" She charged at the door, which shuddered and burst inward.

_Woah._ Claire didn't look that strong. Maybe that was her power, super strength.

The secretary screamed in surprise. "What are you doing?"

They ignored her and went in the dark office. Suddenly the door closed behind them and locked again. They whirled around to look at the door, but a voice came from across the room.

"Ah, maybe if you won't use them for me… you'll use them to save your daughter!"

Rogue turned and saw the face she never wanted to see again. Mystique had Principal Darth shoved up against a book case with a knife at his throat. He looked oddly calm, and a bit surprised. The knife was pressed so close to his throat a small trickle of blood was running down his neck.

The goth saw Claire shudder from the corner of her eye. The girl clenched her fists.

"Let my father go." She said with forced calm. "I'll give you three seconds."

"You are in no position to threaten me, _girl._" Mystique spat.

"Time's up." Claire growled. She looked like she was going to jump at the blue skinned woman, but Mystique was faster. She threw the knife in her hand with great speed at the teen.

The knife embedded itself in Claire's right shoulder, just missing her lungs. The teen stumbled back from the force and gasped. Rogue took everyone's surprise as a time to move. She charged at Mystique and tackled her. Darth ran over to his daughter.

"Rogue…" Mystique growled as the two wrestled on the ground. "I'm surprised. I thought you would have it figured out by now."

"Shut up." Rogue said, standing up. She tore off one of her gloves and lunged back at Mystique as the woman stood up.

Mystique swerved out of her reach and kicked the girl in the stomach. "You would like it to be that simple, wouldn't you?" The shape-shifter kicked her leg out and knocked Rogue's legs out from under her. The teen hit the ground hard, causing her to have to shake her head to clear the stars.

The woman was stalking toward the father and daughter now. "I'm surprised at you Darth, I thought you would try to save your daughter!" She sneered.

The principal looked up with hatred in his eyes. He had the knife in one hand, and the other was pressed against Claire's chest, stopping the flow of blood.

"I told you, I am not a mutant! There was nothing I could do!" He cried.

"You keep this charade up even now?" Mystique roared. "We now what you can do Nicholas Darth!"

The man had tears pooling in his purple eyes. He laughed scornfully. "Do you think I would've let this happen if I could? Whoever you are, you are sorely mistaken. _I am no mutant._" His normally sweet tone was so tainted it was almost disgusting.

Rogue fought past the stars in her vision and tried to get up. She saw the blood on her principal's hands. "No…" As much as she hated Mystique, she couldn't believe the woman had just done that. With an angry yell she ran at Mystique and slammed her against the wall's book case. "What is _wrong_ with ya, Mystique?"

Mystique actually laughed. "Go ahead Rogue, absorb my memories, then you'll learn the truth." The way she said it, Rogue knew that was just what she wanted. She didn't want to give that to her.

"As much as Ah want ta…" Rogue toward Mystique's face, then went next to it and grabbed a heavy book from the shelf. She tore it free and smacked the blue-skinned mutant upside the head with it.

She let out a cry of pain and fell to the ground. She groaned, but didn't get up.

Rogue was torn between making sure she didn't get up and seeing if Claire was okay. Finally she figured Mystique would probably get away anyways so she ran over to her friend's side.

Okay wouldn't be the way Rogue described her condition. The girl's breathing was jagged, her eyes screwed shut, and her face pale. Principal Darth was pressing both hands now on her wound, but blood already stained part of her shirt.

The man glanced up at Rogue. "Call the secretary in here, call the police. I'm going to take Claire straight to the hospital. She has a bit of a healing factor, so she'll probably be fine." His voice was smooth and full of authority. "I don't know who the hell that was, but I have a feeling you do. You better let Professor Xavier know as well."

Unsurprisingly there was a crash like glass shattering behind Rogue. She didn't even bother to turn. Mystique was gone.

* * *

><p>The professor, Rogue, and Leo came to visit Claire in the hospital later that day. Rogue was relieved that the girl's color was improving and she didn't look too bad. There was a large wrapping around her shoulder, but the doctors said she hadn't lost too much blood and she was healing quickly. She said hello and asked how she was feeling before leaving Leo and Claire alone. The boy had freaked out at the Institute, but kept everything under control. He clutched Claire's hand fiercely until she had to tell him to relax or they'd have to amputate her hand.<p>

Rogue joined the professor and Mr. Darth outside in the waiting room. The man with the jet-black hair held his head in his hands.

"I don't understand Charles, why would that mutant target me and my daughter?" He asked.

Xavier frowned. "I don't know, what exactly did she say?"

Darth shook his head and looked at the older man. "She demanded that I display my powers. That if I didn't she'd find a way to force me. S-she said her employer had keen interest in me." He looked from Rogue back to the professor. "Is it possible she had me confused with someone else, someone you know? I-I am just a human, I can't do things like you can. I couldn't—" He coughed gruffly. "I couldn't _stop _her." He sounded miserable.

"I don't know. We'll try to figure it out, Mr. Darth. For now I think the best for both of you is to get some rest." The professor assured.

Darth nodded weakly, his eyelids closing.

Rogue recognized the professor's influence. He turned to Rogue. "This is troubling. Mystique has remained hidden for some time… I fear she's partnered up with Magneto once again."

"What do they want? Ah don't see how they got anythin' from this." Rogue muttered.

The professor watched Darth sleep in his chair for a few seconds. "All I know is that he was lying. He _doesn't_ know why Mystique was after them, but he knows he's not human."

Rogue frowned. "He's a mutant, then why—"

"I don't know. It's possible he's in denial, but also that he needs to maintain a cover of being a human. I don't think the school board would let him continue being the principal if they knew…"

"Would he put his daughah in dangah just for that?"

He folded his hands under his chin. "It seems unlikely, but maybe he had faith she would be okay. He mentioned she has a healing factor… perhaps if you hadn't shown he would have revealed his powers to Mystique. We'll never know." He sighed. "But we will keep his secret; let's just keep this between us. I don't doubt the other students would be able to handle this, but it is his secret to tell. And so far he has presented us no harm."

Rogue nodded. She sat exhausted into a chair next to the professor. He chuckled.

"Late night?"

"Ah'm nevah drinkin' coffee before bed again."

* * *

><p><strong>Hadn't planned on the Kitty Lance split but then my mind was like, "you know you want to"... and yeah I had kinda been thinking about it. But I had a ton of fun doing everything from Rogue's stand point. Was anyone confused why Claire was bleeding? Or why Darth didn't use his powers? If you are think about it. <em>It's a<em>**_** secret**._

**Alright proceed at your own risk. The next chapter is the one with the dire ending.**

**And finally the title plug.**


	30. Chapter 29: Death of a Hero

**Disclaimer: The X-Men don't belong to me, they're Marvels. OCs are of my own imagination or a reviewer's.**

**Tiny Author's note:** Brace yourself. If you don't like cliff hangers, wait to read this chapter until the next is up. Narrative at the end is Leo. And now, the "breaking point".

**Keep reading. Keep enjoying. And please, keep reviewing. (feel free to spectulate)**

* * *

><p>Two policemen wandered around in the dark.<p>

"A warehouse, always a warehouse!" One grumbled.

Large wooden crates were stacked against the walls and throughout the large room, creating a labyrinth. Bright flashlight beams lit up the crates as well as their spilling-out contents, metal machines with tangled wires sticking out everywhere, and lots and lots of packing peanuts.

"Man this place gives me the willies." The cop shuddered.

The darkness in the warehouse seemed more gray than black and parted easily before the flashlights.

"It was probably just a false alarm," his partner assured. "Seriously, who would plant a bomb in—" He froze.

"What is it?" the first cop shouted, turning the corner after the other. As he saw it he stopped in his tracks.

In a space about eight feet by eight feet walled in by wooden crates that stretched far over their heads was one more additional box in the exact center. The box was metal plated and placed on top of the box was a mysterious device of coiled wires, pipes, and boxy metal. An electronic timer with black background and red glowing numbers at in the front, waiting. It wasn't running down yet. Ninety minutes blinked frozen.

The policemen walked closer, but kept a wide berth of the device.

"What the hell?"

"We need to get the bomb squad here. Look at it, it's huge!"

"An entire city block…" One cop muttered. "That's how much it looks like it could take out."

"We need to go, now!" The older policeman shouted.

The two backed away quickly, but the second one of their feet passed back into the maze the building shuddered. An explosion sounded nearby and the crates toppled, covering their exit. The cops dove out of the way of the falling debris just in time. Flames began to lick some of the crates.

The elder cop swore and dragged his leg out from under a heavy chunk of metal. "My radio's been scrambled!"

The other man brushed himself off and looked at the wreckage of the radio.

"I think I can repair it— shit!" He swore. "The timer's started."

The other grumbled and helped scoop up the smashed radio and some other electronics. "We have to work fast, don't worry about the police frequency, can you have it sweep all of them?"

"Just for radio?" The other asked, already tinkering with the scraps. "If you got a camera on ya I could probably reach some TV stations, the local ones at least."

The cop with a crippled leg fished a digital camera from his pocket. "Can you do that quickly?"

The man smiled ruefully. "Yeah, and since it seems we're about to die… I'm a mutant, a technopath."

"Hm." The other cop grunted. "Larry that could've been nice to know in sooo many other situations."

"Shush, I'm working!"

* * *

><p>The pair finally got the device working and their voice and images sliced across the airwaves.<p>

"Attention Bayville!"

A video store downtown was completely overrun by the dark and smokey image of a sweaty and grimy cop.

The Xavier Institute suddenly quieted as the mutants froze or ran toward the nearest television.

Even the Brotherhood was tuning in, a scowl was growing over everyone's faces. Another reason for the X-Men to play heroes.

Clay's squad's late night television watching was sliced short as they crowded around in the common room (They got Bayville's news station due to a lot of crazy wiring).

"We are coming to you with urgent news. We're currently in the warehouse at 64th and Woolworth and have uncovered an explosive device. The bomb squad would be welcome, but we are also ordering an evacuation in a one block radius. Anyone who is able in the area should lend assistance to residents who need it." The picture grew fuzzy and was overlapped with static. "Zzzt- sixty minutes on timer." The officer's voice cracked with emotion. "This is officer Larry David and Micah Simmons, a-and if we don't make it I just want to tell my wife and kids I love the." There was some sniffing behind the camera and the picture fell apart.

Xavier folded his hands under his chin then turned to his students.

"X-Men, this is what we train for. Suit up!"

The teens began to scatter, then Bobby spoke up. "All of us, professor?"

"Yes, everyone. We don't have much time and there are a lot of apartment residents in that area. We need everyone."

"Yes sir!"

The X-Men met back up in the garage for a briefing. Since the danger was local the jet was unneeded.

"Cyclops and Storm will be in charge of the rescue operation, from reports that are coming in some fire has spread from the warehouse to the apartments. It is lower income housing so there's a good chance there will be handicapped residents." He turned to Jean. "Jean and Spades will try to get into the warehouse and rescue the two police officers."

"Professor—"

"Scott, they will be fine. Spades has experience with fire rescues. Nightcrawler will also be going with them so they have easy means of escape."

"Professor," Spades spoke up. His hood was over his head, making his expression look dark. "What about the bomb?"

The professor shook his head. "We will leave that to the professionals, our main concern is people's safety."

Tyler's face had a peculiar look on it, but he nodded.

"Alright X-Men, move out!"

The mutants scurried to the variety of vehicles, nearly nothing being excluded.

In all the movement on one noticed Spades grabbing a tool box and attaching it to the Dyson's motorcycle.

* * *

><p>Clay's squad blinked at the screen for a few seconds after the cops went off. Clay and Zendi exchanged glances, and Enrique stood.<p>

"We need to help." He stated, looking at his teammates.

"Why? It's not our problem." Sionnach grumbled. "I'm sure the X-Men are **all** over it."

"That's where Nuju's family lives…" Clay said distractedly. She seemed to be spacing off.

"Who?" The fox mutant asked rudely. He kept hearing about this "Nuju" but he had yet to meet him.

"He was on our team early on…" Cloak answered, nervously glancing at Clay.

"I thought when you joined up here you left your family behind." Sionnach continued.

A sour look crept its way across Nico's face, he knew first-hand how that was.

Clay shook her head. "You do because it's often safer for your family if you were gone." She looked straight at the Wolfes. "But that doesn't mean we don't watch over them. I've been rethinking a lot of policies we have here. It's time for a change…" She groaned. "I doubt Nuju or his little brother know about this." A small smirk grew on her face. "Who wants to play hero?"

There was a loud _thud_ and the door to the squad's area was flung wide open.

"Actually, no one's leaving."

"Jaller!" Clay growled. The squad stood quickly and assumed fighting positions.

Jaller smiled, though he always looked like he was due to his mask, and walked in. He was flanked by three mutants only a few on Clay's squad recognized.

One had white-blonde hair that was gelled like crazy. His eyes were brilliantly blue and he wore a cunning smile on his face. His uniform was electric blue with a white starburst on his chest, light gray fingerless gloves, and matching boots.

The second wore white plated armor on his arms and legs with spikes over ice blue spandex. He had armor plating that ran down his spine that curved up to his shoulders with slightly longer spikes. His head was shaven bald and he wore a bandana tied over his mouth that was painted to look like large spikey teeth. The teen was just as tall as Jaller, but burlier with very wide shoulders. He watched everything with vague interest.

The last appeared to be the youngest. His features were so similar to Portal's someone could be mistaken for thinking that he was her little brother. Fluffy brown hair was on his head, all messed up in that middle-school bedhead look. They boy couldn't have been much older than twelve; his face was in that halfway stage between child and teen. Maybe the most startling feature was his eyes, they kept changing colors, making it hard to look at him.

Kitsune glanced back at Portal to compare their looks, and then back at the new young mutant. If they were related somehow there was no love lost between the two. Portal's eyes were filled with hatred, and when he looked back at the boy his eyes flashed red then yellow and shone gleefully. Even Kitsune, who Portal fought with on a daily basis, never received such a look of pure hatred.

"Pathos." Portal spat.

"Portal." The young mutant, 'Pathos', said almost happily. His eyes switched to red again and Portal sprang forward at the boy.

"ARR!" She screamed, only to be held back by Zendi and Cloak.

Enrique bent down and whispered something in her ear. It only seemed to make her angrier and she struggled more against her friends' hold.

Portal threw out some pretty intense curses. Sionnach nearly smiled. The girl was quite feisty, and at least her anger was pointed at someone else this time.

_Well now, what did that kid do?_ He wondered, watching the girl swear.

Clay stepped closer to the intruding party as they came in farther. She looked back at Portal. "He's messing with your emotions, don't let him."

Portal muttered something about her leader's head being filled with clay.

The gray-skinned mutant turned back to Jaller. "What do you want—"

"Sir."

Stifling a growl she continued. "Sir. We have a job to do." She looked at the tall mutant with the spikes. "Thok, this is about Nuju, you need to let us go."

'Thok' blinked, his expression hazy. "Nuju…"

Cloak stepped up. "We are needed. Thok, why do you do this? Nuju is your friend! His family is at risk!"

The burly mutant blinked like he was trying to rid his mind of something. "Nuju…" He muttered again.

Pathos scowled and turned his attention to Thok. The mutant stopped looking confused.

Portal glanced sideways at Sionnach. "Pathos is controlling him." She muttered.

Sionnach shook his head. Why would she be telling him this? It wasn't like he could do anything! And then he realized how young Pathos appeared to be, and what Portal undoubtedly wanted him to do. He shook his head again, locking eyes with her from behind his shades. He would _not_ use those powers.

Jaller grinned, seeing the situation back under his control. "Good news. We are taking you into isolation."

Clay's squad exploded into argument. Clay held up her hand and they stopped. Sionnach watched with interest. He wasn't exactly "best friends" (or even _friends_) with Clay by any means, but he couldn't think of any reason why Jaller would be taking her.

"What do you mean?"

"All of your actions have earned you as such." Jaller smirked. "Defying orders, skipping border patrol, engaging the X-Men… you are putting the Haven at risk, Clay Dune. As such we need to remove you and give you time to think."

Clay snorted. "I'm puttin' it in danger? You're nuts Jaller." She folded her arms and sighed. "But I ain't one to cause trouble without reason. I can break out of where ever you put me if needed." She walked up so she was directly in front of Jaller. Extending her arms, she smirked. "Where am I goin'?"

He laughed. "I know you. That's why Fusion is here." The smile vanished from Clay's face. "Did you think I brought him as back up?" He nodded to the mutant on his right, and shoved Clay at him. Fusion, the mutant with white-blonde hair, caught her arms.

Clay was now facing her squad, her arms grasped behind her back by Fusion.

"Go! Go now! Otherwise—" She started.

Suddenly the light faded out of her eyes, the normally neon green color dimming to an almost gray. The light seemed to be absorbed into Fusion's body. In seconds Clay Dune had breathed one last sigh and collapsed. Her body fell to the floor. Fusion's eyes flashed bright green and then returned to normal.

"Clay!" Zendi shouted. She let go of Portal and charged at the group,.

Jaller stepped in front of her and back handed her across the face. It was surprising, Sionnach had seen Zendi dodge things like that before, but luck seemed to be on Jaller's side. With ease he blocked the rest of her movements and grabbed her around her throat.

"No interference." He muttered, tossing her back.

Sionnach caught her before she could slam against the wall and fingered his katana.

"Now everyone is to remain here." Jaller stated. "There will be no heroics."

* * *

><p>Cyclops ran down a smoky hallway and kicked a door open,. He glanced inside, and two kids about nine and seven came screaming out. Both latched onto his legs.<p>

"Great." He muttered. He bent down and scooped them up. "Don't worry," he said cheerfully, "we'll get you out of here."

He began making his way back down the hall and pressed the button on the side of his communicator.

"I got two more kids here. No parents inside, someone want to take this hallway while I get them out?"

"Got it!" Leo's voice sounded over the communicator.

Scott turned a corner and nearly ran into him. "Hey! How's Turbulence doing?" He called as Leo began breaking doors in. The X-Man kept walking out of the building and Leo's reply came over the communicator.

"Not good. He's doing his best to try and clear some of the smoke." There was a shattering noise. "But with his asthma… he can't get too close."

"You know I can hear you, right?" Benj's voice grumbled. He coughed for a few long seconds. "Damn… smoke. Sorry Professor X, no cussing."

The blonde mutant stood on the roof of an apartment building next to the one the fire was spreading to. He bent his arms and brought them back before snapping them forward and releasing a gust of air. Smoke from the flames spiraled high into the air, clearing some of it from the ground.

Benj wiped some soot from his flight goggles and pressed his communicator. "Storm, I can't take much more of this, can you take over?"

"Of course child."

"Turbulence, why don't you come back to the X-Van. We don't want to put you at risk." The professor said, concern in his voice.

Turbulence coughed harshly before funning off the side of the building and flinging himself into the air.

"Roger, roger!"

"Rogue to Turbulence. Don't do anythin' stupid, okay?"

Benj smiled. "I'm trying. How's things going at your end?"

"I think we're gettin' close ta clearin' the way for everyone. We are just double checkin' apartments now."

"Good. I see the police lights, they're not too far away." He stated. It was true, red and blue flashes were moving quickly toward the block, the sirens wailing. Everything seemed to be closed in an eerie calm for such a serious situation.

A purple flash on his left drew his attention. He lost concentration for long enough to plummet to the ground. He skidded a few feet, tearing his black and green uniform, and bloodying up his right arm. The street he landed on was a small alleyway between the warehouse and an adjacent apartment.

Stifling a scream he clutched his arm, his blood seeping through his glove and remainder of the sleeve.

"God!" He gasped after several long moments. He sat up slowly and kept pressure on his arm. In attempting to stand he realized he hurt his ankle as well. As soon as he put pressure on it, he buckled over and fell back to his knees. Benj dragged himself over to the wall of the warehouse and leaned back.

He activated his communicator. "Ugh, I hit the ground pretty hard. Someone mind lending a hand?" He asked through gritted teeth.

"What happened?" Xavier asked.

Benj described the flash.

"Sadly we don't have time to investigate." Xavier replied. "Stay where you are Benj, someone will be there soon."

"Like I'm going anywhere." He grumbled, wincing and turning his head to the sky.

* * *

><p>Jean, Nightcrawler, and Spades were carefully making their way through the warehouse. It was tough going since every few movements another small explosion went off and a chunk of the roof fell in. Jean protected them from any falling debris with a simple shield, while guiding the party toward the two unconscious police officers.<p>

Spades led the way, absorbing the flames so the other two could follow. The toolbox was now in his hand. Kurt had noticed it on the way in but the man had refused to leave it.

"We all have a job to do, at least let me try." He'd said.

Spades swatted aside a box and they came up to the center of the maze. The floor surrounding the bomb was clear of debris, but the two men were slumped next to it.

"Alright, let's get them out of here." Jean said, running up beside them. Nightcrawler leapt over and touched both of their arms.

"Grab on! The Kurt Express is ready to go!"

"No." Spades said simply, walking around the forms on the ground and going straight for the bomb.

10:03. Just over ten minutes. He'd have to work fast.

Nightcrawler's eyes widened. "Are you crazy? The bomb's about to blow! We need to get out of here!"

Tyler sighed. "Please Kurt, give me a chance." He turned and looked straight at him. "Trust me here. Give me seven minutes, then if I can't do anything we'll go."

Kurt shook his head. "No, Tyler—"

"Come on Kurt." Jean said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Kurt tore his eyes away, a rebel tear falling.

'_He's not coming out of here again, is he?' _He projected to Jean.

She didn't look at him, couldn't look at him.

"Go."

* * *

><p>"Benj!" Leo shouted, dashing toward the still form. His brother lifted his head and smiled. "Boy, am I glad to see you!"<p>

Leo knelt beside his brother. "Yikes." Was all he could say. He scooped his brother up bridal style. "Great, now _I _have your blood all over my uniform."

Benj couldn't help but laugh. "You have your own blood all over it from all those times with Wolverine."

"Yeah, well… that's _mine_, this is _yours_." Leo grumbled.

Suddenly an explosion went off inside the warehouse, shaking the ground and causing Leo to lose his footing. A cry of pain pierced the night's quiet.

Leo stumbled back up. He glanced at Benj and the same look of terror passed between them.

"Tyler." The feline mutant gasped. "Can you put any pressure on that ankle?"

Benj shook his head. "Let me lean against you."

"We need to find Tyler." Leo said pathetically. "I-I won't lose someone else in a fiery hell hole!"

Benj picked himself up, standing on one leg. The bleeding was slowing from his arm. Together the two staggered in a back door of the warehouse.

"Woah…"

The place was falling apart. Bits of the roof crumbled in under the intense heat, assisted by the minor explosions. Most of the crates were in flames by now. The two brothers looked at each other. What were they getting themselves into?

Turbulence did a quick mental scan of the room. He pointed straight ahead. "He's in the center."

Leo frowned. It would take forever to get to him. Unless…

"Okay, conjure up some wind when I say so." He said, taking a step back.

"What do you— ahh!" Leo ran forward and jumped high in the air.

"NOW!"

Turbulence did as he was told and swept his arm forward, a blast of air propelled them far into the warehouse over the flames. The two arched downward and miraculously landed in the middle of the crate labyrinth.

"Never… do that… again!" The blonde sputtered, clutching his ribs. The landing hadn't been very soft.

Leo growled. "Just be happy I broke your fall." He shoved his brother off of him and stood up sore.

He glanced around. Tyler was face down a few feet away. He didn't seem injured, just stunned.

"Tyler!" Leo shouted, running over to him. Spades groaned and sat up. He shook his head and rubbed the back of it.

"We don't have much time." He said urgently. He popped back up and ran over to the bomb.

The timer now read 3:27.

The blonde's eyes opened wide from behind his goggles. "Dude, we need to get outa here. They already got most, if not all, the residents out. We've done all we could."

Spades shook his bright red head. "No, we haven't. I… I can do this. We can't be sure everyone is safe, even if they are these people don't need to lose their homes too."

Benj managed to stumble over to Tyler.

"Fine. How can I help?"

Ty handed him a screwdriver. "Take off the panels. I need to see the wiring."

The pair went to work, leaving the last brother to stand there awkwardly. He rubbed his hands and then asked: "What can I do?"

Tyler looked up and met his eyes. "Leo, you managed to murder the microwave. Technology isn't exactly your _forte._"

Leo swished his tail back and forth. "I could—"

"No." The other two said as they worked fast. They finished removing the metal panels and started untangling the wires. Soon they had it sorted out and Tyler managed to disconnect some of the explosives from the timer.

"It won't matter if the flames ignite it." Benj said seriously.

"Take care of it then."

He nodded and extended his arms. There wasn't much moisture to work with, but as Turbulence found small pockets he expanded them. A low cloud of fog hung from the ceiling soon. Flames stopped spreading. It appeared as though it would work.

Then—

_Bang_. Something popped above them, a small explosion. There was an ominous metal groaning sound and a support beam fell toward the brothers.

It crashed heavily to the ground. A shriek accompanied it.

As some dust cleared it was obvious what happened. Benj and Tyler were sprawled on the ground, pushed out of the way of the debris. Leo wasn't as lucky. The beam was pinning his pelvis to the concrete. His cheerful face was contorted in pain as he yelled out. There was no doubt in his mind that his legs and pelvis were shattered.

Blood was starting to pool around him and tears streaked his face.

"Leo!" Both soot covered mutants cried. They ran to his sides. Tyler tired lifting the beam, but it was much too heavy for him.

Leo gasped in pain and grabbed Benj's arm. Through the tears in his vision he looked at his adoptive brother.

"Get out… now!" He moaned. "There's nothing you can do!"

"Leo, come on bro… shift! Maybe then—" Benj choked.

"No." Tyler stated, ever level-headed. "Even in his lion shift he'll be trapped, perhaps worse." He was fighting emotions himself. This couldn't happen twice to him. He was so close to saving them both.

In the middle of their anguish Kurt ported in behind them, facing away.

"Okay Tyler! Times… up…" He saw Leo. "L-Leo?"

"Hey blue boy… Kurt…" Leo moaned. "Get these two out of here."

"Can you get him out, Kurt?" Benj croaked. Tears were collecting in his goggles.

Nightcrawler could only stare at Leo's predicament.

"Go." Leo commanded. He ignored the blinding pain for a second and managed his lunatic grin. "I'll be fine."

Benj shook his head. "I'm not leaving you!"

Tyler had gotten up and was working furiously on disconnecting the bomb. There was less than two minutes left.

"I think I can kill the detonation sequence. Kurt you need to get help. We aren't leaving Leo here, but if this goes right we'll all be fine."

Turbulence sniffed and mustered up as much physic influence he could and aimed it at Kurt.

"_Leave us."_ He said.

Nightcrawler vanished.

The blonde mutant collapsed. Trying to do something like that took a ton out of him.

"Well we had a pretty good run, eh?" He sighed.

"Three brothers we started…" Ty started, slicing a cord.

"Three we shall end." Leo sighed. "We gave the X-Men a pretty good run for their money. They hadn't factored in on us being so troublesome."

"The two Dysons and the Dents. Three D's of trouble." Benj laughed. "The D-Factor."

"Sixty seconds…" Tyler muttered. He stopped fiddling with the electronics. "Benj, I'm going to throw these disconnected explosives, blast them as far as you can okay?" He wasn't ready to give up. "There's not much left, maybe we'll survive." He said half-heartedly. There was one last thing he could try as well.

Turbulence nodded. When Spades threw them into the air he slashed his arm through the air.

"Air bending slice!" Leo joked as they went flying into the night sky. He smiled as they disappeared.

"It's time to go home…" He sighed.

Tyler and Benj glanced at each other and then went to sit on either side of the trapped teen. Leo grabbed their arms and looked at them both.

"We're ending this journey the way we started it…"

"Together." They all said.

Leo smiled and started at the sky again. The pain was lessening, growing fainter. "Father God, we come to you today at last, broken and scarred. We've made mistakes, but all of it has led us back to You. Forgive us as we prepare to step into Your Kingdom…"

* * *

><p>The night sky was navy blue overhead. The X-Men were regrouping at their vehicles.<p>

Wolverine stiffened as they made a head count. "Where's the elf and the brothers?"

No sooner had he spoken had Nightcrawler appeared in front of him.

"Gah! Elf, watch where you're portin'!" Logan grumbled.

The elf shook an empty gaze off his face. "Oh no! They're still in there!"

"What?" The professor exclaimed. "I thought Leo and Turbulence were heading back!"

Kurt turned wildly to the warehouse. "I have to get them out! Leo needs help!"

Logan reached out and grabbed his shoulders. "Hold it there bub, what's going on?"

"They're going to die!" Kurt yelled. The X-Men erupted into chaos, several beginning to run back toward the warehouse.

"Come on!" Cyclops shouted.

Rogue was about to move when a voice came over her communicator. "Turbulence to Rogue. I'm so sorry Rogue. I love you."

She froze. "No…"

While some of the team continued to run forward she stumbled back. Everything seemed to move too slowly. She turned away.

There was a loud crack and flames spilled into the air above the warehouse. It was relatively small, if one looked at the big picture.

The professor cringed. The physic noise from his X-Men was deafening.

"No…" He whispered.

* * *

><p><em>Death is a part of life. It renews the old, severing the useless. It's not something to be taken lightly. It's not just a game. In real life, you don't just respawn.<em>

_Society has made it less than it is, but killing and death is more than just something that happens._

_Some try to fight it while others embrace their time. It comes for everyone, and sometimes it takes someone strong to realize it. But more than anything else sometimes the death of one thing…_

_Means the birth of another!_


	31. Chapter 30: The Rescue 36

**Disclaimer: The X-Men and Brotherhood aren't mine, they're Marvel's. Only OC that appears is mine.**

**Author's note: **SPIDEY!

So yeah, as that delightful author's note I put up a few days ago said, things have been weird. Again, although the Batman shooting occurred nearly a weak ago keep those affected in your thoughts. As I said before I had a lot of friends who went to a premier somewhere and it freaked me out that it could've been them.

I hope that awful cliffhanger didn't harm you guys too bad.

The title is a reference to The Amazing Spider-Man vol.2 #36, the 9/11 reaction comic. I read it recently and it was really inspiring. Okay, so in reality it only affected one little section where I actually quote it, but it's meant to make you think about those you thought were enemies.

The Rescue (#36)

**Enjoy. Read. Review. (maybe eat some ice cream)**

* * *

><p>"We are coming to you live from the site of the warehouse explosion where a rescue mission is underway." A dark haired, dark skinned reporter spoke into a news camera. Behind her fires still blazed on the apartment buildings, surrounded by scurrying firemen and policemen who were trying to extinguish them. She was walking backwards toward a large black van, the X-Van, while still talking into the camera. "Despite the efforts of both the police and the mutant group known as the X-Men several casualties have occurred, and some residents are still trapped." She paused and tilted her head. "We are just learning that three of the rescue workers from the X-Men are currently missing in action, having been caught in the blast." The reporter turned and pointed at the X-Van where Rogue was leaning against the black metal. Wolverine was approaching as well, his orange hood down and face grim. "There are a few of the X-Men now, we'll see if they have any comments."<p>

Rogue slid down the door and sat on the ground, bringing her knees to her chest. The different personas in her head were starting to act up, their voices drowning out her own thoughts. After the last self-possession event she was not in favor of it happening again. But with the emotions of the situation it was getting hard to deal with.

Logan walked up and knelt next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "How ya holding up kid?"

Rogue shook her head silently, closing her eyes and rubbing her temples. "Ah need mah space right now Logan. Too many voices…" She muttered.

"Excuse me."

Logan looked up irritated. The girl beside him held her hands over her ears and muttered under her breath. The man turned his face to the reporter. "Can I help you?" He asked gruffly.

The reporter held her microphone out. "Yes, are you one of the X-Men?"

"No, I just wear this outfit for fun." Wolverine replied, rolling his eyes. "Yes, I'm one of the X-Men."

The reporter ignored his rudeness. "Do you have any comments on the three mutants missing? Who were they? Will you alert their parents?"

Logan stood up, seeing that her questions were messing with Rogue's concentration. "The Xavier Institute don't got a comment to make."

"But their family members—"

"No comment." He repeated, close to growling at the woman.

"Who were they?"

Wolverine choked down a snarl. "No comment!" He slashed at the camera.

The camera man flinched after the strike but he was unharmed. The reporter and camera man watched in shock as the front of the camera fell off in three clean slices.

The mutant turned his back on the reporter. "Bill the Xavier Institute for that, will ya?"

The reporter looked about to protest when two policemen came up and directed them back.

"Everyone needs to remain behind the police-line, miss." One said quickly, while the other walked them back.

Logan looked back and raised an eyebrow. The police helping them?

"Us too, bub?"

The remaining police officer shook his head. "We are here to help. I think you deserve the thanks here, if we can do anything—"

"Why?" Logan blurted.

The man frowned. "You risked your lives to save our fellow officers, one being a good friend of mine. If you are willing to do that for us, we will be willing to do the same for you."

The officer turned to leave.

"Thanks." Wolverine grunted, the man turned and nodded before leaving.

Wolverine looked down at Rogue who was still fighting her battle inside her head. He wished he could help, but it was all about her strength of mind over the other personas'.

'_How is she doing?'_ The professor's mental voice interrupted his thoughts.

Wolverine sighed and looked at the man as he rolled his wheelchair up beside him. _'She's doing alright, Chuck… but… I think we're awfully close to another self-possessed event.'_

'_She's stressed.'_

'_We all are.' _Wolverine responded. He glanced around. The other X-Men were either sitting somewhere in or on the other vehicles (all were wisely giving Rogue space), or in Storm's case, creating storm clouds to help put out the fires. Some, like Scott, couldn't sit still and were out of sight as they ran in and out of burning buildings.

The professor sighed. In the few minutes following the explosion the teens had reacted in a variety of ways. No one was taking it well.

He himself was not taking it that well, but he had to remain strong for his students.

Lightning streaked across the sky, and rain began to pour. The fires started to fizzle out under the downpour and the firefighters' efforts. Storm touched down nearby and walked over to the professor and Logan. Her expression was hard to read but she was clearly upset.

"I got a good view of the wreckage," Storm said, her voice a little shaky, "but I couldn't tell if they…" Several students looked up expectantly and Cyclops and Sunspot walked over from helping rescue residents. "…If they were okay." She finished, diverting her eyes from any of the students'.

The professor motioned for the other teachers to follow him and the X-Men reformed around Scott's convertible.

The bald man looked at all their faces, a few were red-eyed while others actually had tears still on their faces. All had the same look of determination.

"We are going to find them." Xavier stated simply. He took a shaky breath. "Whether they are still alive or not." Kitty grabbed Kurt's arm and buried her face in his shoulder. Scott clenched his jaw and looked down at the ground, Jean took his hand in hers. The professor watched them react, unknowing whether he should continue on, but eventually he did. "But most importantly we need to clear away this rubble. We will never be able to find them if we don't get started." Scott nodded and looked like he was about to take control.

"Would you like some help with that?"

The X-Men turned and looked behind the professor. Levitating a few inches off the ground was a man no one expected to see. Magneto approached silently, his feet brushing against the ground. Behind him the Brotherhood mutants followed.

"Magneto! Come to kick us when we're down?" Wolverine snarled.

The Master of Magnetism shook his head. "The opposite. We look after our own, and despite the boys' decision to be X-Men they were- are, first and foremost: _mutants_."

"Thought maybe you could use a heavy lifter!" The Blob said, pushing Scott's car aside with ease.

"Hey!"

"Relax Summers, we're here to help." Quicksilver said with a quick glance at his father.

As much as Scott hated it, they could use their help. Time was running out for the Dyson brothers if they were still alive. They needed to clear the damage fast.

"Alright team, split up. There's still people trapped in the buildings so I guess we should focus more on them…" Scott looked at the professor.

He nodded. "Scott's right. Magneto, Storm, Beast, and I will move toward the center of the wreckage and try to get them out. Everyone else focus on the wreckage or the residents." He looked at Scott and then tentatively back at Rogue. "Cyclops will lead the team continuing the rescue… Wolverine will be in charge of the wreckage. And Jean?" She raised an eyebrow. "I want you to keep an eye on Rogue, if things get bad, let me know."

"Of course professor."

"Now let's move out!" The professor said with command. The teens got up and began splitting according to how Logan and Scott called them out.

Jamie slunk back and split into two copies. One nodded at the other and followed Wolverine as the group left. The other jumped in the bed of the yellow pick-up truck belonging to the Dysons. He leaned against the cabin of the truck and buried his head in his hands. He thought back to the conversation he had with Leo a few weeks before.

"_I'm not going anywhere Jamie, not as long as you need me here."_

The boy looked at the gray sky, raindrops falling into his eyes. He sucked in a breath. "Come on Leo! I still need you!"

* * *

><p><em>"Even those we thought our enemies are here. Because some things surpass rivalries and borders."<em>

Scott looked perplexed over his shoulder, waiting for Toad to catch up. He'd never thought much of Toad, not since he ran screaming from the mansion, but there the kid was, hopping around in the smoky stairwell. The rest of the Brotherhood was helping with clearing the rubble, minus Quicksilver who was better suited to help get the people out. Even when Toad clearly knew the X-Men were broken he couldn't dial down the annoyance he projected.

"So Summers, why did you guys decide to play the heroes anyways?"

Cyclops resisted the urge to smack him while he answered. "We were needed."

"You know, I never got to really meet your new guys." Toad said cautiously.

"Yeah well… You may never get the chance now." Scott grumbled. He was surprised when Toad grabbed his arm.

"Listen, I know we ain't that great of friends… but ya know, I'm sorry, man." The boy said sincerely. It was odd to see him take on a tone of seriousness, but he did. "I was hopin' things wouldn't be so crazy after that Apocalypse shit, but man was I wrong."

* * *

><p>The adults approached a line of police officers who were surrounding the wreckage. The officer in charge nodded his head without so much as speaking, or even with Professor X's mind manipulation. The group passed by, and Beast glanced back.<p>

The officers were looking back with their caps off and over their chest.

It looked like they were wishing them luck.

* * *

><p>Magneto extended his arms and metal beams lifted up and out of the way. As he cleared a path for Xavier, Beast and Storm scouted ahead. The man made a point to observe everything in the wreckage; from the scorched metal, to the remains of the contents of the wooden crates (now mostly ash). Whoever did this was skilled and knew what they were doing. He narrowed his eyes as he realized why the area would make a good target.<p>

Beast leapt atop a broken beam to get a better view of the surrounding area. The center appeared to be only a few yards off, several more metal beams stuck in the air like jagged teeth. He smiled grimly, they were getting close… but he couldn't hear anything.

As he turned his weight shifted on the beam and it began to slide. He let out a surprised cry as he grabbed tighter to his perch, hoping to just slide down the rubble with it.

Suddenly twin tendrils of darkness reached out and secured the falling beam. Beast glanced down bewildered by the solidified shadows gripping the metal. He turned his blue-gray head to the left and saw a man approach.

"I would jump off now." The man stated. His voice was garbled and dark, like it was being run through a voice scrambler. He came a little farther out of the shadows, his arms stretched out, wrapped in the same darkness that held the beam.

"Oh, well yes." Beast muttered, jumping down to land beside the man. He inspected him quickly. The man was wearing dark purple and black armor that glinted dully in the streetlights, a purple helmet encasing his head. Two eyes peered out at Beast, but in the dark it was difficult to tell what color they were.

As soon as he touched the ground the man dropped his arms and the beam continued on its way, crashing into more rubble.

"Beast!"

"It's okay, I'm fine Charles!" Beast called out in reply, not taking his eyes off the new arrival. "Who are you?"

"Dusk." The man stated simply.

Metal wreckage shifted beside them and Magneto levitated over, brushing the scraps aside. He narrowed his eyes as he looked over Dusk.

"And who might you be?"

"This," Beast said, gesturing at the man, "is Dusk."

"I'm the master of the Haven." Dusk said, his eyes locking with Magneto's. "As I believe you all know we have particular interest in the welfare of the Dyson brothers."

"As do we all." Magneto muttered. "Shall we continue on then? That is unless you would prefer to battle now."

Dusk chuckled, the sound harsh through his helmet. "I doubt that will be necessary."

The two leaders continued to stare down each other.

Charles interrupted with a polite cough. "Storm just contacted me. She's found…" He stopped, shutting his eyes.

"There is no time to waste."

* * *

><p>Storm couldn't believe what she was seeing.<p>

Any of it.

Metal beams were bent and twisted all around the center of the former maze in a jagged circle. Scorch marks extended out from a central point, nearly everything around it was obliterated.

But there were no bodies, no carnage.

There was a semi-dry puddle of blood under a metal beam, but no other sign that the brothers had been there and had been injured. With the damage done to the surrounding area and the metal itself there should have been a terrible sight to behold.

But there was _nothing._

She couldn't even express her shock to Xavier when she said she found it. She had been mentally preparing herself for _something_! But all there was…

Metal groaned and shifted, bending out of the way for the four adults who followed. They froze as they took in the scene.

Beast walked over to where the blood was on the ground, putting his mind into scientific mode. "Hmm, interesting…" He muttered. "With this much blood loss even Leo couldn't have gotten far. In fact I doubt Logan would have survived that."

Magneto joined him, examining the heavy metal beam. "This was definitely where he fell. There is flesh on the underside of this bar, but it doesn't look to have been moved since then. He did not escape from underneath it."

There was a _crunch_ and the adults whirled around. Dusk shrugged apologetically, pointing down at his boot. He had been approaching the two men when he stepped on something small and metallic.

"What is that?"

The man lifted his sleek boot and saw that underneath was a tangle of small wires and metal. He knelt down and examined it. "Magneto, if you would be so kind…"

The Master of Magnetism complied, lifting his hand and the shattered device along with it. Xavier stared at it for a second before realization hit him.

"That is Tyler's communicator!" He exclaimed. As it floated in the air Beast pulled a flashlight from his belt and pointed the light at it. The broken device gleamed a shadowy silver with a red card spade on one of the flat sides.

Beast swung the light in an arch, searching the ground. Two more metallic objects shone on the ground, one silver and one bronze. Turbulence and Leo.

"With the wreckage here… there's no way… there should be something!" Beast whispered.

"They're just… gone." Storm shook her head.

"Wait… Shine the light over here." Dusk commanded, jogging over to the very center of the space. He squinted down at the cement.

Beast complied, not knowing what he was looking for.

As the light traced over the ground the mutants saw what looked like a red diamond that was split down the middle drawn on the ground, outlined in black.

"What is _that_?" Hank questioned.

Xavier shook his head. "I don't know, but I fear we may have a new threat looming."

"They chose this location for a reason Charles." Magneto growled. He looked down at the man in the wheelchair. "Do you know how many mutants live in this area? Nearly fifty in the apartments alone, more probably on the surrounding streets. If that bomb had been fully armed…"

"All of them would be dead, and possibly more of the X-Men…" Xavier finished, placing a hand on his forehead.

Dusk made a _tsk_ noise from behind his mask. "I see they are not here." The shadows rippled around him and he vanished.

"Strange to not see Clay Dune instead…" Magneto murmured. "But this will not go by unnoticed! We will let the city know that mutants cannot be targeted like this again!"

"Erik, don't do this." Xavier insisted. "Do you want to start a war?"

"That may be what it comes down to, Charles." The man responded, lifting into the air.

The professor swore as the metal manipulator levitated away. "This will not make it better."

"But what do we tell the other students?" Storm asked, still staring at the empty space Leo had been. "We cannot be sure they're alive, but we also cannot say they are dead."

"We tell them the truth." Xavier stated, looking up into the bleak sky, rain still falling. "Leo, Tyler, and Benj are missing… and Leo is probably dead."

* * *

><p><strong>Oh well, still dramatic. Who's got spectulations?<strong>

**Up next: Flashes, don't know how many chapters it'll turn into (I'll stop each time around 5,000 words and I don't have an exact plan so WHO KNOWS?)**

**And sorry for the length of this one. I couldn't come up with more and I wanted to move on.**

**(*Sidenote! The author's note will be deleted tomorrow. I just don't feel like it today. *Other side note! Chapter 1 has been editted, and reposted. No major changes)**


	32. Chapter 31: Healing Factor

**Disclaimer: The X-Men aren't mine, they're Marvel's. Ashley Wolfe is a product of San child of the wolves, Julian Hans and Claire Darth would indeed be mine (with some clamboration from San again on Julian)**

**Author's note:** Oh writer's block, how thee hate me.

It's okay, writer's block CONQUERED. If you check out my profile occasionally (and look at my lovely preview section) you would have seen that I scrapped my original "Flashes" idea because of emmense writer's block, instead merging the beginning and end of the Flashes chapters into the beginning of Healing Factor, this chapter.

Julian Hans is starting to make a more regular appearance now. Yay! And there's more hints on where and what happened to our D-Factor!

Oh, and this chapter is dedicated to my friend L. I forced her to start reading this, dragging her into the MARVELous chaos. Thanks bud. This is for you.

**Enjoy. Read. Review**

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><p>Returning from the explosion's site was… hard… for everyone.<p>

Things had begun to look more positive within the last few days, but the event at the warehouse threw everything into question. Peace was seemingly farther away than ever expected. Despite the cooperation of the Brotherhood it was apparent lines had been drawn.

The X-Men had stared at the Dysons' vehicles for a while before Blob picked up the motorcycle with ease. Toad and Avalanche then hotwired Leo's truck and offered to drive it back to the Institute.

Even the Brotherhood knew when to lend a helping hand.

Especially when three of their kind were lost.

When they finally reached the Xavier Institute the students solemnly filed out of the vehicles. Rogue and Kitty walked together, the latter was completely silent and stony-faced. Rogue leaned on her friend, her eyes shut and her lips moving slightly as she hissed at the personas trapped in her mind. From time to time Kitty would glance at the girl next to her with a worried look in her eyes. Sometimes she thought she would overhear her arguing with one of them, and grew especially worried at the name _'Juggernaut'._ No one wanted a visit from him.

Before anyone could leave the garage, the professor made an announcement.

"I know this is going to be tough, but we have to assume the worst. Leo, Tyler Dyson, and Benjamin Dents are missing, presumed dead. We'll do our best to prove otherwise using Cerebro… but…" He took a deep breath. "Get some rest, there's still school in the morning."

They shuffled through the door. Rogue leaned in and whispered in Kitty's ear. "Mind if Ah spend the night in yar room? Ah just don't think—"

"Of course you can Rogue." Kitty answered before she could finish.

Rogue smiled at the smaller girl and they walked off.

The adults stayed behind, looking at each other. The professor sighed.

"This was not how it was supposed to go tonight."

Storm wrapped her arms around herself and looked down at the floor, a few tears finally falling from her eyes now that the students were gone. Thunder rumbled outside and rain splattered against the roof.

Logan ran a hand through his blue-black hair and tugged at his gloves. "There any chance we could find 'em?"

"If they use their powers it'll be like them sending out a beacon to us." Xavier said softly. He wasn't sure whether to hope they were alive or not. Keeping hope would only encourage the others to do so too, which would only hurt them greatly if the brothers turned up dead. The other choice was to assume they were dead and accept it.

"If Leo's still breathin' he's got to be usin' his powers." Logan grunted.

Hank shook his head. "I hate to say it, but with that blood loss—"

"We don't know that!" Logan barked. "Until ya show me a body, we're gonna find hi-them."

"Enough." The professor interrupted. "We'll go down to Cerebro now and see if we can get a location. You're both right, Leo's healing factor would be in effect currently, but whether or not he'll survive is another story."

* * *

><p>Charles Xavier lowered the Cerebro helmet onto his head and focused. The machine whirled, the giant screen flashing locations all over the United States.<p>

"His healing factor kicked in around what I estimate to be when the metal beam fell on him." The professor explained, the screen flashing to the city of Bayville. "But then…"

The red dot on the screen that represented Leo vanished. Cerebro whirled, flashing more cities as the professor's mind searched before halting.

"_Error. Location not found. Target does not exist." _Cerebro's mechanical voice echoed.

Xavier frowned.

"What does that mean, Chuck?" Wolverine asked gruffly.

Reaching up slowly the telepath removed the Cerebral interface and set it down. "Cerebro couldn't find him." He whispered.

"Chuck."

Xavier turned slowly to face his friends. "He… he's dead."

"No… The kid… he can't…" Logan muttered.

"The others." Storm suggested, placing a hand on the gruff man's shoulder. Logan shrugged it off and leaned an arm against the wall.

Charles nodded and returned to the computer, this time searching for Tyler and Benj.

"There!" Beast called out as a red dot popped up on screen. It disappeared nearly as soon as he spoke.

Xavier looked up. The screen showed the continental United States, but wasn't zoomed in on any city.

"Where did you see it?"

Beast pointed. "Right about there."

"North Dakota?" Storm raised an eyebrow. "Who were you searching for?"

"Tyler… Why would he be in North Dakota? How would he get there so fast?"

"Is it possible it was only a glitch?"

"There it is again!" Beast cried out, but this time the 'blip' appeared in New York. The light blinked a few times and then faded out.

"Lost him!" Xavier swore.

"At least we know he's alive." Storm suggested, trying to improve the quickly diminishing spirits in the room. She didn't want to get her hopes too high, they had already been dashed when Leo…

Leo.

* * *

><p>The professor sat in front of his students and staff, the announcement he was going to make on the tip of his tongue. They knew what was coming.<p>

"After… after searching with Cerebro last night… I have some grave news to make. Leo… could not be found. It would seem that he died during the rescue."

The students remained silent and grave. The news was expected, even if they had hoped it wasn't.

"We were unable to locate Benj, due to the fact he would have to be using his powers and he was not at any point after we returned. Tyler was last somewhere in New York, but he stopped using his powers soon after we got a brief reading and we lost him. We won't stop trying to find them but—"

"But we need to keep moving on." Scott finished. The professor looked surprised at him. "Prof, we know. We talked about it while you guys were in Cerebro."

"Even though we lost our friends…" Kurt began.

"Doesn't mean we, like, can stop being the X-Men." Kitty finished.

Jean nodded. "The world will need us more than ever now that they've seen this."

"We're still gonna need some… time ta heal… but—" Rogue added.

"We're here. Because we're needed." Scott said, standing up a little straighter. "I think Leo would've wanted us to keep moving forward. He wouldn't want us to dwell."

* * *

><p><em>Thanksgiving.<em>

What a joke.

What was there to be thankful for?

The fact they were alive? The fact Tyler could still be found for sure?

Despite the gloom, life was moving forward. The X-Men's Thanksgiving came slowly to them as the teens tried to come to terms with all the chaos that had happened to them. It was really only three days after the explosion.

But they couldn't deny that they weren't happy for the interruption. Most students hadn't seen their parents in months, and the familiar and loving faces were refreshing.

Kurt's parents were the first to arrive, the blue boy excitedly giving them a tour of the mansion. Kitty's were next, followed by Jean's, and then the whole place exploded into chaos. The younger students' parents arrived almost all at once and the teens were occupied in giving them all tours.

Rogue was sitting at the base of the stairs by the front doors to the mansion, watching as parents and kids entered and walked off. She did her best not to scowl. It was hard not to feel jealous; she didn't have anyone like that.

"Rogue?"

The girl looked up to see the metal giant before her. Of course he wasn't in his all-out metal form, but even still he was a huge force.

"Hey Pete, what's up?"

He sat next to her, the wooden stairs groaned a little under his weight. "Are you… okay?"

Rogue raised an eyebrow. Colossus was a shy guy, and didn't really talk to her, or _anyone_, that much. She had seen he and Tyler have quite a few conversations, but she never really talked to him much before. So him talking to her was… weird.

"Uh… Ah guess so."

"You are not… unhappy?" He asked timidly.

She frowned. "Of course Ah'm unhappy. Mah family ain't here, they ain't gonna be here, and recently mah boyfriend disappeared. What do ya expect?"

Colossus frowned slightly as he looked at her. "I know we have not talked much… but how close were you to Benj?"

"He… we were… He cared about me. He was willin' ta be with me even with…" She gestured at her gloves. "…this."

"Did you love him?"

Rogue shook her head. "Ah don't know. But Ah think he loved me."

The man nodded. "I understand." He looked up at the door. "Please do not be mad at me for having done this."

"What?" Rogue asked, completely confused.

He pointed, and she followed his gaze.

Approaching the door was a woman with slightly graying brown hair, dark glasses, and a walking cane. It was Rogue's foster mother Irene.

"YA _WHAT?!_" Rogue yelled. Colossus held up his hands and opened the door.

"Thank you, young man." The woman said. Colossus nodded and raised an eyebrow at Rogue.

She looked crossly at him and then got up. "Irene…"

Irene smiled and extended her arms, grabbing Rogue's hands. "Child, I have been so worried about you."

Struggling to respond, finally Rogue croaked out, "Ya were?"

"Despite how Raven has treated you, I have been hoping you would forgive me."

Still at a loss for words the goth just stared at her.

"Perhaps we should take a look around?" Irene suggested.

Rogue ignored her using the words that suggested sight, the woman was completely blind, but she had gotten used to her doing that long ago.

"Ah… Ah…" Rogue sputtered. She glared at Colossus. "This was yar idea?"

"Actually…"

Rogue spun around to see Scott, Jean, Kurt, and Kitty standing there.

"It was all of ours idea." Scott shrugged. He looked over his shoulder to where his brother Alex and his foster parents were talking to the professor. "We figured since the rest of us had our families here, you shouldn't be left out."

She glared at him, but oddly felt fine about it. She hadn't spoken to Irene since she left home, and there was some need for closure.

"You're friends are very nice." Irene said softly, stepping forward so she was side-by-side with Rogue. She inhaled deeply. "Hmmm, I think I smell turkey cooking already."

Rogue nodded dumbly and guided her down the hall.

Kurt grinned. "That was a good idea, ja?"

"We'll see if we're still living in the morning." Scott joked.

Kitty giggled. "Oh Rogue's not that bad!"

"She'll find a way to get us back Kitty, count on it."

"Well I, like, guess so." Kitty shrugged. She walked up to Colossus and gave him a high-five. "I think this is the start of a beautiful, evil, friendship."

The metal giant laughed, and walked off.

Jean glanced around at her friends. "So was anyone able to find Evan?"

The team exchanged glances, before Scott shrugged. "Ray went to see if he could find the Morlocks, but…"

"You know how they are, like, always moving around to stay hidden and stuff." Kitty sighed. "I don't think he found them."

"Or…!" Kurt pointed at the door. A bulky shape took form behind the glass, and the door opened cautiously.

"Evan!"

The teen winced at his name and looked over at his old friends. "Hey guys, you seen my aunt?"

"Kitchen." Scott answered, jerking his thumb behind him.

Evan raised an eyebrow as he walked closer. "Aren't you gonna ask where I've been, or what I've been doin'?"

Scott shook his head. "Not today. I think Ororo wants to see you much more than we do. We're not going to decrease the time she gets to."

The spiked mutant nodded and continued on his way, trying his best to remember the layout. Not that he really had to remember, the Xavier Mansion was like a second home to him. It was ingrained into him.

"It's weird seeing him again, you know?" Kitty muttered.

"Yeah, yeah it is."

* * *

><p>Goodbyes were quick, because many would be seeing them again shortly, but for some they were longer.<p>

Storm tried again to persuade Evan to come back, but it was very half-hearted. She knew he was in the place he undoubtedly belonged, but she couldn't let him go without trying.

"I'll be fine Aunttie O! Honest, the Morlocks are great." Evan groaned as Storm tried to kiss his head. "Come on! I'm nearly grown up."

"No ya're not." Rogue teased from across the room. "Ya can't even drive."

"_That,_ doesn't matter." Evan responded, pointing a finger at her.

"Yeah, sure… whatevah." Rogue smirked, waving him off.

"So are you thinking about joining us soon Alex?" Beast asked of Scott's younger brother.

The boy shrugged and looked back at his parents. "Don't know yet, maybe after I graduate. I'm not really lookin' forward to movin' to the mainland, you know?"

Xavier chuckled. "Whenever you're ready, our doors are always open."

"Thanks, well I guess we better take off. You know how airports are." Alex shrugged, clapping his brother on the back. "Don't be afraid to visit some time and catch some waves."

"I'll take you up on that." Scott laughed.

As the crowd filtered out the students were left looking at each other. Everyone had a smile on their faces, something rarely seen the last few days.

* * *

><p>Julian Hans stood at her locker, nervously tapping her foot. She glanced around, leaning back into the hallway while holding her locker door before rocking forward again on her toes. Something was wrong, she could just feel it.<p>

She had been watching the news when the explosion happened and continued to cling to the story as the news broke. The Xavier Institute produced a statement declaring Leo Dyson dead and two others, Benjamin Dents and Tyler Dyson, missing. The school had been abuzz the day after, and still was on that Monday. Leo had been a star player on the soccer team, leading it to the championship. Spring soccer had seemed to promise the same result if he kept playing, but now some of the players were a little unsure.

Julian herself hadn't been great friends with the boy, but she remembered him helping her out during one of the Xavier meetings, now dubbed the Mutant Society. He was funny and charming, and had she been into guys she would have become flustered with his flirtatious nature. The news of his death shocked her. From what she understood he was nearly as indestructible as the instructor named Logan.

To add to all that the attack had scared her. Someone was willing to go to great lengths to try and kill people. And she didn't have to be a genius to realize their target had mostly been mutants. Everyone in the city knew where the mutant "hotspots" were, and the warehouse's neighborhood was one of them.

When Julian came to school the day following she was hoping to talk to Ashley, thinking that might calm her down. She was startled to find that the girl wasn't there, and when she didn't return for the rest of the week she grew worried.

Now on Monday she was really hoping to find the small girl. She hadn't been able to contact her at all over the weekend, and desperately wanted to talk to her.

Julian shut her locker carefully and walked down the hall toward where Ashley's locker was. As she was she saw Enrique at the drinking fountain. She paused, figuring she could ask him where she was since they were close friends.

"Hey Enrique, have you seen Ashley today?"

Enrique straightened up and looked at her. There was a dark circle over his right eye, and a long scratch along his jawline.

"Oh my gosh! What happened to you?!" Julian cried out in a hushed voice.

Enrique held out his hands and motioned for her to lower her voice more. "Shh, I am fine. Really. I just picked a fight I probably should not have."

Julian walked closer and squinted at him. "I don't believe you, _really._"

He sighed. "It is none of your concern. Yes, Ash is here. I think she is at her locker now, but Julian—"

"Thanks!" She said hurriedly, taking off down the hall.

"SHE IS NOT IN A GOOD MOOD!" He yelled after her, but it was too late, she had already turned the corner. Enrique shook his head and grimaced, holding his side before walking outside.

* * *

><p>Ash was ambushed.<p>

She was just at her locker, minding her own business when out of nowhere someone hugged her.

She let out a startled cry before the person put her down. Slowly turning she relaxed her suddenly tense muscles. It was just Julian.

"You scared me." She stated simply, before grabbing the last of her books and closing her locker door.

Julian smiled innocently. "I'm sorry. It's just… I haven't seen you in a while and I was worried." She dropped her gaze to the ground. "And I really needed to talk to someone."

When Ashley didn't respond the taller girl looked up slightly. For the first time she noticed the sling on Ash's arm, and the exhausted look on her face. The small girl was biting the inside of her cheek and looked oddly at Julian.

The black-haired girl frowned and pulled Ash outside so they could sit at one of the tables. Ash didn't fight back as she followed the girl into the sunlight.

"What is going on?" Julian asked bluntly. She was tired of having no clue what was happening with her girlfriend. She saw her in, and occasionally out of school on dates, but the rest of the time she heard and saw nothing of her.

Ash glared down at the ground and traced a circle with her shoe.

"Ash, I'm sick of this. I never know what's going on with you!"

The girl flinched a little at her raised voice but still didn't respond.

Julian frowned and flicked her long hair out of her face. She grabbed Ash's chin and forced her to look at her. Pale blue and two-toned eyes met for a second before Ash tried to pull away.

"No, look at me." She said softly. Ash turned slightly and looked back at the pale girl. "Ash… I've trusted you with a lot. Can't you return the favor? I just want to be able to be there for you."

Ash took a deep breath. "You promise you can handle it?"

Julian lowered her eyebrows at the question but nodded, removing her hand from the girl's chin.

"I live at a place called the Haven." Ash whispered. Julian had to strain her ears to hear her as she continued. "That's why you can't get a hold of me when I'm not at school. The location is undisclosed, but I can tell you it's not exactly close to Bayville. The Haven is a place for troubled mutants who've committed a crime, at least that's how it started. It's a safe haven, somewhere mutants can live and train in peace."

The girl nodded, not quite sure she was following. "So… it's not just you, is it. Those others… the ones at Seth's apartment…"

"All of them are Haven. Enrique, Portia, Sionnach, Xander, Zendi… all of them."

"And something happened at the Haven recently. That's why you and Enrique are hurt." Julian muttered, closing her fingers around Ash's hand.

The other girl nodded, but didn't clarify.

They sat in silence for a little while before Ash spoke up.

"Why did you want to talk to me?"

Julian sighed. "That attack at the warehouse really freaked me out. I just needed someone to talk to about it."

"What about your dad?"

She shook her head. "He wouldn't understand. He still doesn't know I'm a mutant, or that I'm gay. I'm not exactly comfortable talkin' to him right now."

"I'm sure he'd understand."

Julian closed her eyes. "You think so?"

Ash nodded, squeezing Julian's hand and resting her head on the other girl's shoulder. Julian pulled away slightly and Ash looked up at her. Ducking her head a little, Julian kissed her. The smaller girl was surprised by the action and kind of just sat there frozen. It was odd having someone like her again.

Julian rested her forehead against her girlfriend's for a second and murmured. "I'm gonna tell him tonight, I'll let you know how it goes."

Ash nodded and brought her lips back to the other girl's.

_I hope he takes it well._

* * *

><p>"Did anyone else notice that the Haven mutants were all injured in some way?" Kurt asked as he, Kitty, and Rogue drove back to the Institute.<p>

"Like, yeah! That girl Portia had a brace on her ankle and she could barely stay awake during Spanish class." Kitty answered.

Rogue shrugged. She didn't take her eyes off the road but thought about it herself. "Ah don't really have classes with many of them, well Sionnach's in mah English class… He just seemed to be in a worst mood than usual."

"Well, none of them were here last week, you notice that?" Kitty asked, prodding her friend.

"Kit, Ah'm drivin'. Ya really think pokin' me is a great idea?"

Kitty scowled and folded her arms. "I was just asking, you know."

"And that announcement Darth made?" Kurt said. "I thought it was pretty nice."

"Yeah." Rogue grunted, shuddering slightly.

Principal Darth had made an announcement about both Leo and Benj, applauding the X-Men, Brotherhood, and police in their efforts to save them.

It didn't really make the X-Men feel better though, despite Darth's effort.

"So what was up with Claire?" Kitty asked, changing the subject.

As Rogue's Jeep pulled through the Institute's gates she shook her head.

"Ah don't really know."

* * *

><p><em>Earlier that day.<em>

Rogue didn't bother sitting down at her desk when she came into chemistry. That day was a busy lab day and she wanted to get started right away to avoid having homework.

It was hard to focus at the Institute at the moment.

"Make way for the cripple!"

Rogue looked up from the lab station to see Claire hobbling through the door on crutches. With some difficulty the girl made her way over to Rogue.

"Hey, how are you doing?" Claire asked softly.

Rogue frowned. Claire was gone the last part of the week before, did it have to do with her crutches?

"Uh… Ah'm alive, Ah guess… what did ya do? Not playin' in an alley again, were ya?" Rogue asked. She was trying not to let her mind drift back to the explosion, which was what undoubtedly Claire was asking about.

This time it was Claire's turn to frown. "No, I'm just a clutz. I had a crazy weekend and my legs are a little tired."

"Tripped up some stairs?"

"Down actually." The girl said, resting her crutches against the counter, and grabbing onto the lab station to keep from falling over.

"Is that all?" Rogue asked suspiciously. The girl looked to be light headed, swaying a little as she stood on her own, and her normally bright eyes were much dimmer than usual.

Claire looked down at the counter like she was going to be sick. "No, but you don't need to worry about it, Rogue."

There was something in her tone that set Rogue off, mini alarm bells going off in her head. Before she could figure anything out though the teacher came in and reminded them that they needed to start now, or forever suffer at home.

_Not much of a choice._

* * *

><p>"Uh, Claire was also gone last week?" Kurt questioned, leaning forward from his spot in the back to look at Rogue's face. "And the Haven mutants were gone last week. And she's injured. And <em>they're <em>injured."

"Stop. Ah…"

"She's Haven, Rogue. She's got to be." Kurt stated.

Rogue frowned as she parked her Jeep in the garage. "Ah got homework ta do. See ya'll at dinnah."

Kurt and Kitty exchanged glances before shrugging. There would be no talking with the Rogue for a few hours.

* * *

><p>Xavier was back down in Cerebro, doing another scan for the two missing mutants.<p>

Nothing.

He sighed, removing the helmet and rolling back from the controls. He programmed Cerebro to scan on its own and to have an alert go off if either of them were located.

The two mutants, where ever they were, were not using their powers. Searching for them eased his mind a bit, and he knew it made the other students feel better too.

Having their families over for the weekend greatly improved their spirits, but now that they were gone things were starting to get gloomy again. On Wednesday many of the students would be leaving to go home and celebrate with the rest of their family, but there would still be some left at the Institute. Charles was trying to see if he could find some hope for them while they were stuck at the Institute over the holiday.

Suddenly red lights flashed all around the room, and the professor looked up confused. It wasn't the alert he programmed for having located Benj or Tyler, but the intruder alert.

"Cerebro, bring up surveillance!" He shouted over the ringing.

Logan jogged into the room and skidded to a halt. "Are those the intruder alarms?"

"It appears so…" Xavier responded.

The screen finally brought up the surveillance videos. The Institute's defenses were already warming up. The video showed two cannons firing laser blasts at a dark form. Smoke rose in front of them before two long rope-like extensions whipped out and strangled the cannons, crushing them.

"Logan, get out there, I'll alert the rest of the team."

Wolverine nodded. "I'll hold 'im off."

'_X-Men, we have an intruder. Fight to immobilize. We don't have a lock on their identity yet, so be careful.'_ Xavier commanded mentally.

'_Got it Professor! X-Men, move out!' _Scott replied.

* * *

><p>Logan didn't bother suiting up, he didn't have time for it. Instead he ran out the front doors and extended his claws. Coming to a halt he sniffed, trying to get their scent.<p>

The scent seemed familiar, but he couldn't place it. He squinted against the darkness and the smoke now billowing everywhere and moved toward where he smelled the intruder.

"Alright, whoever you are, you'll wanna give up now. You don't gotta get hurt." He warned.

"Turn off those cannons!" A girl's voice cried out.

Logan frowned, they sounded like a teenager. "What are you doin' here, kid?"

There was another cannon blast and the girl shrieked. She summersaulted into view as the smoke cleared slightly. Her dark black hair was whipped around her pale face, and she looked beat up. She was wearing a black T-shirt, skinny jeans, and green jacket. The grass tugged at Wolverine's boots when she looked up at him.

"Mr. Logan!"

He blinked. The girl was from the Mutant Society, the kid able to control plants. Her eyes were oddly tinged green around the edges, similar to if she had been crying. Her cheek was bruised and she looked scared out of her mind.

"Computer, Override Code: 3-9-2-7." Logan shouted. The cannons made a whirling noise as they powered down and sunk back into the ground.

Logan extended his hand down to the girl. Wearily she took it and he pulled her up.

"J-Julian Hans." She stuttered. "I'm sorry, I should have called, I didn't know—"

"Don't worry kid, are you okay?" The man asked, looking over her bruised form. Now that she was closer he could tell she had been crying, but unlike normal people her eyes weren't red from it, but green. There was a shallow gash on the side of her head where a thin line of blood trickled down her face, and a burnt hole in her jacket where she must have taken a cannon blast to the arm. She was having trouble standing.

"N-n-no." She stammered, falling a little. Logan caught her swiftly and put his arm under her left arm for support.

"Woah, careful there Hans." He said softly. "Let's get ya inside to see the professor."

She nodded and limped next to him as they went. As they reached the front doors Cyclops, Jean, Shadowcat, Nightcrawler, and Rogue burst out.

"Logan—!" Rogue yelled in surprise.

Nightcrawler muttered something in German before porting back inside.

"I hope the elf is gettin' the medical bay ready." Logan grumbled as he and the girl stumbled in.

Cyclops looked down at the girl. "You're Julian Hans, right?"

She nodded weakly.

Wolverine snorted. "Ask yer questions as we walk Summers."

"Uh… right." He responded, keeping pace with them.

The others followed quietly as the younger students started emerging from their rooms. It was pretty late, but that didn't dampen their curiosity.

Tabitha exchanged a look with Amara before calling out to the girl. "Julian? What are you doing here?!"

The black-haired girl looked back at Tabitha who was quickly jogging up behind her. "Tabitha?"

"I didn't know breaking and entering was your thing."

Julian shook her head. "I need to talk to Professor Xavier."

"Well then today is yer lucky day." Logan muttered, nodding toward where the man himself was sitting in his wheelchair outside the medical bay. "Alright, if you ain't the professor stay out here, the kid needs some space!" Logan barked at the gathering crowd.

The students stopped outside the infirmary and talked amongst themselves.

Logan helped the girl over to one of the three beds and then stepped back as she sat on the edge of the white sheets. She still looked frightened and she was crying again.

"Julian, why are you here?" The professor asked softly.

She sniffed and looked at him. "I-I need a place to stay f-f-for a while."

Xavier nodded. "You're always welcome here. Your father didn't take it well, did he?"

Julian shook her head.

"Her father, Chuck?" The gruff man asked as he pulled a chair around.

"Julian and I have had several conversations about letting her father know she is a mutant." Xavier clarified. He frowned slightly as he read her mind again. "But that's not all you told him tonight, was it?"

She shook her head again. Mutely she rolled up her sleeves on the green jacket, revealing a set of bruises on both wrists. "I told him I was a mutant, and about my girlfriend." She took a shaky breath. "He didn't take it well."

Logan snarled. "Yer own _father_ did this to you?!"

She nodded carefully, staring at her wrists. "I-I told him… an-and then he grabbed my wrists and told me no daughter of his was going to be a homosexual mutie. That his only daughter… I know he didn't mean it… he was just… _shocked_… that's all."

He shook his head. "Kid, you've had it rough tonight." Logan pointed at her cheek. "He do that too?"

Julian nodded, wrapping her arms around her torso and squeezing her eyes shut. "He didn't mean it…" She whispered.

Xavier rolled his chair closer and placed a hand on her arm. "You're welcome to call the Institute your home as long as you like, Julian." He spoke softly. "After Dr. McCoy takes a look at your injuries I'll have one of the students escort you to one of our spare rooms."

She nodded. "Thanks. I-if I like it here can I stay?"

Logan smirked a little. "You wanna be an X-Man, Hans?"

She met his eyes. "Maybe."

"Well, be prepared to earn it." He responded grinning. Julian smiled a little at his comment.

* * *

><p>"So this will be your room." Tabitha said, opening the door for the other girl. "It's not much, but it's definitely better than anywhere I've stayed."<p>

Julian's eyes widened as she took in the room. It might not be much for some people, but it was a lot for her. Her single father had always struggled with money; they never had much in the way of things or space. The room Tabitha opened was twice the size of her old bedroom, with two full sized beds against opposite walls, a dresser, and two nightstands.

"Wow, Tabitha… this is awesome." Julian muttered. She turned back, her few possessions in a bag over her shoulder. "Thanks, really."

Tabitha nodded. "Now I don't know if you'll need to talk or anything, but Amara and I are across the hall, with Jean next to us, and Kitty and Rogue just a few doors down. We probably won't be sleepin' much anyways…"

Julian noticed the grim look on the girl's face. "You were good friends with him, weren't you?"

Tabitha nodded, looking around. "Yeah, we're all takin' it rough right now."

"I'm sorry."

"Nah, it's okay." Tabitha shrugged. "We just gotta wait for our emotional healing factors to kick in."

* * *

><p><strong>Yes, I am pretty bad at emotional reactions, but I figured that the X-Men would seem okay at school because I'm used to when something's hit me hard having to suck it up and get on with school life. Grieving! That's what it's called, sorry couldn't think of the word.<strong>

**Anyways this chapter was more focused on Julian, I'd loved to hear what you guys think.**

**Next chapter: With the new addition of Julian Hans to the X-Men, Magneto decides it may be time for Brotherhood expansion. Meet new character S.Q.!**

**(**Sidenote: I'm introducing some new OCs for the new expansion of the Brotherhood and I'm wondering if some of you are interested in submitting an OC. Now don't send me one, I'm just wondering if anyone's interested [on that note I'm perfectly fine if you're not]. I'm not making any promises that I'll actually open up submissions either so wait until I say something. Currently there are 8 members [classics from show & 3 OCs] and that only leaves 4 more I'm looking for, all girls. I'll explain more next chapter, but if you're interested send me a PM and we'll talk about it.)**

And here's a list of everyone I would love to thank for following, commenting, and favoriting D-Factor: AvengedVeralin, Cylar44, Eliannabby019, HMMaster, magicrazy101, Mercy-Jane, necro7, QueenPersephoneofHades, the true dark knight, TheAdversaryWithin, CamCabbit, OHMYPRYDE, pianoflute, San child of the wolves, TheWritingGirl23, and Tigereye13. If I missed your name, I'm sorry, I thank you too. And I also thank all those mystery guests/random viewers who never leave any sort of trail behind. :D


	33. Chapter 32: Expanding the Ranks

**Disclaimer: The X-Men and Brotherhood aren't mine, they're Marvel's. Chances are any OCs you see are mine. Oooor in this one, Ash is San child of the wolves'.**

**Author's note: **IIIIIII'M BAAAACK!

Yes, yes, I live! Sorry for the ALMOST A MONTH wait, but I was consumed by the thing known as school. That and I did a major rewrite of this chapter. And I've been dealing with a couple of "Bombshells" of my own, including one I dropped on my friend. Still managing the shrapnel right now. Anyways, here it is: Chapter 32, also called _The Birth of the Sisterhood._

**Enjoy. Read. Review.**

* * *

><p>Magneto stood in front of the electronic screens in the lowest level of the Brotherhood House. He drummed his fingers against the controls and studied the information in front of him. The same diamond found painted on the ground at the explosion sight was on one of the screens, surrounded by screens filled with text. He stood reading the text in a gray suit and red tie, his shielded helmet sat on the controls nearby.<p>

"These are strange times we live in, Raven." The man muttered without turning from the screens.

The blue-skinned woman approached, hiding her annoyance of being discovered. Would she ever be able to sneak around this man? Mystique stood beside Magneto and examined the screens more closely now that she was close enough to properly read the text. She arched an eyebrow and turned her head halfway to the man. "_These _are who we're up against?"

"Yes…" He mused, tapping a few keys. "What odd times where your enemies so blatantly boast about themselves. But I guess it's no different than…" His voice faded and he frowned as unwelcome memories resurfaced. Shaking his head he looked down at Mystique. "Our enemies are gathering and our numbers are weak."

"_Weak_ is putting it lightly!" She scoffed. "What ever happened to our tough team of mutants?"

"That is what I keep wondering." He sighed. The man spread his hands out over the controls and looked down. Suddenly he looked much older and frailer in his civilian clothes.

"Did you acquire what I asked?"

"Easily." Mystique smirked and handed him a flash-drive. "The X-Men left their doors wide open."

Magneto took the device and plugged it into one of the USB ports. With a few taps at the controls the screens cleared and were filed with Cerebro profiles. They were mostly of mutants they'd never seen before.

"Charles made a mistake of stopping recruitment when he did. Such talent skipped over."

His eyes searched for a moment, then he smiled.

"Raven, I will be taking a short trip… a few days at the most."

"What are you up to?" The woman asked skeptically. After all she'd been through she only loosely trusted the man. It was mostly their similar views, and her bloodlust that kept her from leaving.

Taking his eyes off the screens he smiled at her. "I will be bringing in some new talent. Hopefully this will motivate our current Brotherhood into movement."

"How so?"

"By showing them they can be replaced." He sated, gesturing to one of the screens.

Mystique read over it quickly and shared his smirk. "Oh yes. She'll do."

"When I'm gone I'd like you to work with our boys and Wanda. If you must get Sabretooth or Pyro to help… I will make sure they are _more_ than willing."

Mystique smirked, ideas forming in her twisted mind. It would be a training session truly worthy of Wolverine.

"Now…" Magneto turned back to the controls and tapped a few buttons and all the screens went dark. "…we have a memorial service to attend."

"An Xavier brat—"

"He was one of us, Mystique." Magneto stopped her. "From this day on we do not take attacks on our own so lightly. The guilty party will be found and one way or another will face justice."

The man strode from the room with Mystique's eyes following him.

It was time for people to learn respect for mutant-kind.

* * *

><p>Rogue twirled her pencil around her fingers absent-mindedly. Her Chemistry teacher surprised them with a Pop Quiz on enthalpy, which was just a little too much math in science for the goth, but she still managed to breeze through it. There was about fifteen minutes left of class and the rest of the class was starting to get a little restless. Tomorrow was the start of Thanksgiving break, and a lot of them had plans to visit other places.<p>

But not Rogue.

She sighed, leaning back in her desk and decided to doodle on her paper. The teacher wouldn't let her get her book out because of students still taking the test, and _somehow_ that could be sending answers to them.

_Riiiight_.

She was trying to keep her mind from wandering to the girl next to her, or to Leo's memorial service, or to Benj. How she was able to focus during school was a mystery, but maybe if one is used to having the minds of others in their head their own thoughts aren't that hard to ignore.

The professor had decided they would have a small memorial service for Leo that afternoon, since many of the students were leaving for home the next day. The invitation was extended to the Haven mutants, his classmates, teammates, and even the Brotherhood. The mutants at the Xavier Institute required some closure, so hopefully this would prove to be that.

Rogue was glad for it; the mansion was seemingly empty without the feline mutant causing chaos and laughs. It was time to lay him down and move on, even if it was hard to do.

It made their purpose more clear, though. The X-Men existed to try and stop things like that from happening, and if more trouble broke out between humans and mutants, more friends would be lost. If they could, they would stop it before it ever occurred.

"Alright, it looks like everyone's done. Pass your papers forward." The teacher stated. After he collected them all he sighed. "Since there's only like ten minutes left, go ahead and be gregarious teenagers." When the students mostly just blinked at him he smiled. "Talk."

Rogue sighed. She needed some answers from Claire, but she wasn't too thrilled about asking the questions. Kurt had tried convincing her some more the night before that Claire was Haven, but Rogue came up with some pretty compelling arguments. Her father was the principal, and she'd seen them go home before.

"Earth to Rogue!"

Rogue shook her head and turned to the girl next to her. Claire was wearing a bit of a forced smile, and her eyes were still relatively dim.

"Oh sorry, Ah—"

"It's fine." Claire stated. "So mind if I hitch a ride this afternoon? My father's got some school stuff to take care of right after school, and I'd like to be at Leo's memorial rather early."

Rogue couldn't believe she'd forgotten. The day before she was too busy trying to keep her head on about the missing mutants she'd forgotten that Claire had been Leo's girlfriend. She was hurting just as much as any of the Xavier students, but she had seemed to shake it off while she was with Rogue.

"Of course." Rogue said quickly. "Ah'm so sorry, Ah kinda forgot that ya and Leo—"

"That's okay." Claire answered a little too quickly. Rogue wondered if she was just trying to suppress her emotions. The girl wasn't exactly the most expressive person.

"It just doesn't seem like…" Claire started. She took a deep breath like she was debating saying something. There was a strange look on her face as she continued. "…he's gone…" She whispered almost inaudibly. "I don't want to… I just can't…" She glanced at Rogue through the corner of her eye as she turned away for a second.

"Hey, it's okay. We'll get through this." Rogue said softly, placing her hand on the other girl's shoulder.

Claire rubbed her wrists with a blank look on her face. The two sat in a painful shared silence while the rest of the classroom grew increasingly loud.

The bell rang and the pair collected their things. As the rest of the students filtered out of the room enthusiastically Claire struggled with her crutches, gripping the cool metal with uneasy hands. Rogue set her things down and assisted her friend before she stumbled.

"Well, Ah guess we should go…"

The girl's eyes fell and her expression became downcast. Taking a deep breath she nodded in reply. Almost incomprehensibly she whispered, "I hate this."

* * *

><p><em>Rapid City, South Dakota<em>

The sky was a bleak gray as a man in a tan overcoat and a brimmed hat strolled to the front of a building in the small city's downtown area. On a white-washed sign in large black letters above the door it read: "Welcome to the Quincy Community Center." Underneath in smaller print were the words: "Mutant-friendly facility."

The man paused long enough to read the words before ducking inside the building. The inside was not very impressive, but it had a warm feeling to it. It was as if the idea that everyone was accepted there had ingrained itself in the walls and literally warmed it. There was a full-sized basketball court taking up the left side, with metal bleachers against the far left wall and along the court's right side, separating it from the rest of the interior. In the far right corner was a boxing ring, with a few benches lined up near it and several punching bags against the walls nearby. Closer to the doors on the right was half a basketball court, with just one basket where several younger kids were standing around in jerseys looking at an older teenage girl.

The man glanced around the gym and saw the equipment and benches were well-worn. Several of the punching bags were frayed, and one of the bleacher benches was bent completely inward. The other thing he noticed was the people there. Several high school aged kids were playing basketball on the court (more of a pick-up match than anything organized). More than one had a physical mutation. At the boxing mat in the back a boy black hair was throwing punches at a slightly older boy with brown hair. All of a sudden the black-haired boy jabbed his fist forward, though he was too far to reach his target, and a small orange flame burst out. The other boy twisted his body in an inhuman manner and avoided the flame, before flipping over his opponent and yanking his wrists back. The two laughed and clapped each other on the back before starting up again.

_Mutants._

Once again he turned his attention back to the half-sized court. The young kids were watching a fairly tall teenage girl with long blonde hair that was braided behind her, tanned skin, and silver rimmed rectangular glasses. She wore a basketball jersey and shorts, as well as tennis shoes. She had a basketball under one arm, and with the other hand was gesturing about. Her voice carried in the open space, but was muffled with the other sounds. She grinned and the kids and they lined up behind the free throw line. Bending down, she handed the ball to a kid with bony plates sticking out on his head.

The man leaned against the wall near the doors to watch, removing his hat and placing it under his arm. His silver hair and well defined face identified him right away.

"Alright, now how about we play a game of Knock-Out?." The girl shouted, receiving cheers from the kids. "Winner gets any piece of candy you want." This got the kids even more excited. She handed the ball to a boy in front of her with bony plates on his head, and held up her hands as another teen by a rack of balls threw her another. She passed it off to another kid and grinned. "'Kay, go!"

The boy did as she said and the ball soared through the air and through the net, hitting it with a _swoosh._

The boy smiled hugely, and the game continued.

After all but one was eliminated the girl retrieved a gym bag from the side under the hoop and walked back over. She tossed the bag to the ground in front of the winning kid before turning back to the others.

"'Kay you hooligans! Time to go home!" The girl yelled out. The kids scattered, running up to adults that were lining up near the door.

The girl had a satisfied grin on her face as she watched them go, before turning to the hoop herself and putting up a shot.

"Impressive." The man near the doors muttered, still watching the girl.

She picked up her bag as the kid ran to his parents and slung it over her shoulder. Jogging, she went over to the bleachers and set the bag down. She stretched her arms over her head for a second before sprinting into the mix of high school kids playing basketball.

The group was close together, a boy much taller than her was trying to steal the ball from the other teen dribbling it. With incredible grace the girl spun in between the two and snatched the ball, racing back across the court and scoring a basket.

"Ey! Samantha, we were in the middle of a game!" The boy who had previously been in possession of the ball whined.

The girl, evidently Samantha, laughed, picking up the basketball. "Well let's divide the teams up again. What do you guys say to a game, say… with _'power grid'_ rules?"

The other teens smiled, and a new game was started.

"Alright," One of the boys said, holding the ball at half-court (he was acting referee). "_Power grid_ rules allow the use of powers in regards to ball handling, speed increases, and accuracy but does not allow the use of powers to injure the other players—"

"Unless they're Sam!" A girl snickered.

Samantha rolled her eyes and got set at the half-court mark.

The referee grinned. "Just try not to kill each other."

He tossed the ball up and blew his whistle.

Instantly the girl, Samantha's, appearance changed. Her skin took on a shiny bronze sheen, and her muscles tightened. She sprung up and swatted the basketball to one of her teammates before crashing back to the ground. The floor shook slightly underneath her, but she was undeterred as she took off after the others.

The man smiled. Such promise.

* * *

><p>Rogue sat curled up on the couch in the mansion reading a novel. She was trying to keep her mind occupied on something imaginary so it would not wander into the real world. Maybe it wasn't the best way to cope, but it was how she handled things at the moment.<p>

She looked up as she heard the smooth gliding whirl of the professor's wheelchair enter the room.

"Hey professah."

"Hello Rogue." The man said smiling. Being Wednesday evening most of the mansion's students had left for the long weekend, leaving only a few behind, Rogue being one of them. "How are you doing?"

Rogue shrugged and set her book down, making a note of where she left off. "Ah've been bettah…"

"I think we all have." Xavier agreed, rolling his wheelchair so he was sitting in front of Rogue. "Do you want to talk about anything?"

She sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Ah just can't help but think that it coulda been any of us, at any time. But why them? Why now?" She asked, her voice raising a little. "And if Benj and Tylah are okay, then why don't they let us _know_!?"

Xavier studied her for a few moments before answering. "I wish I had an answer for you, Rogue."

"Ah wish ya did too."

"Come now, maybe you can help me with something and it'll take your mind off of this."

Rogue raised an eyebrow. "What do ya want me ta do?"

Xavier smiled. "Would you mind helping me find Julian? I fear she's gotten lost in the mansion."

"She wouldn't be the first."

He chuckled. "No, she would not." His eyebrow raised slightly at Rogue's unasked question. "And no, I cannot locate her using my telepathy. I know she's in the mansion, but she's been using her powers with frequency and they create a sort of _'psychic static'_ that makes it hard to pinpoint her."

"Have ya tried the garden? She seems ta like it there."

"A logical idea," the professor said hiding a smile, "would you mind…?"

Rogue sighed. Professor X could be quite the master manipulator when he wanted. "Of course professah." As she got up and walked toward the door she paused halfway and glared at the man. "And don't think Ah don't know what ya're doin', professah."

He chuckled as she walked out.

* * *

><p>Rogue ducked slightly as she opened the door to the greenhouse in the mansion. She didn't come up there much because she wasn't much of a plant person, but she knew it was Storm's pride and joy. Lush green plants were arranged in rows, most had bloomed a long time ago so the normal variety of colors that was there in the spring and summer had faded back to mostly green.<p>

But as Rogue walked in she saw something else had taken over the normally neat space. Vines and ivy hung from the beams overhead, making it difficult to open the door inward. She squeezed through and followed the mass of twisted vines to where they seemed to originate. The excess vines were making Rogue feel a little claustrophobic, but she had a pretty good idea where they were coming from.

She turned a corner and reached the center point of the multitude of plants. The vines curved down into a large pot with a stick that they were twisted around, all but four that were much shorter than the rest. These four were suspended in the air by seemingly nothing, which perplexed Rogue until she traced their origin down. The four vines were growing straight out of the pale skin of the figure sitting in front of her facing away.

Julian was just sitting on the wooden floor in a black tang-top and jeans with her hair tied back out of her face. She was bent over a little, and it took a few seconds for the observing mutant to see she was holding a guitar. Rogue looked back over the scene and saw that two of the vines were holding a musical score in front of her and the other two were just swaying in reaction to the music.

Rogue felt a little odd just observing the obviously private scene, but the notes floating from the girl's guitar were soothing and she hated the thought of having to interrupt them.

Suddenly Julian sniffed and straightened up. The chord she had just played fell dead in the air, and the vines on her back fell limply to the ground. The girl shifted her sitting position to face the intruding mutant.

Rogue shifted her weight awkwardly and apologized. "Ah'm sorry, Ah didn't mean ta intahrupt—"

"No, no, it's fine." Julian waved it off, smiling half-heartedly. Her mind seemed preoccupied.

"What was that ya were playin'?" Rogue asked, walking closer and sitting next to the girl.

Julian looked suspiciously at Rogue, making her confusion as to why the other girl was talking to her obvious. It wasn't really like they had 'clicked' before. "Well, uh, it was just some chords and notes I've been trying to put together." She let out a singular laugh. "I guess you could call me an aspiring songwriter, but I'm miserable at it."

"Don't know about that, it sounded pretty good ta me." Rogue shrugged. "But then again, Ah ain't no expert on music."

"You don't come up her much Rogue… the others have told me that much… so what are you doing up here?"

"The professah wanted me ta find ya." She answered, pausing for a second before going on. "That aaaand he thinks Ah need to be around some more people right now."

"You all are havin' a real tough time with this, aren't you?" The pale girl asked, looking over at the older mutant next to her.

Rogue nodded, but didn't elaborate.

Julian set her guitar to the side. "I know you're not one for touching, but I think you need a hug."

Rogue narrowed her eyes. "Ya don't have ta do that."

"Too late!" The other girl said, wrapping her arms quickly around Rogue and then releasing her and backing away.

Rogue didn't even have time to tense up with the speed of the hug, but she looked strangely at the girl anyways. "Ya're quite odd."

Julian shrugged. "Sometimes being odd is the only way I could get through the day. I'm hoping things will be a little better here."

"Trust me, it will."

Julian smiled, but then she tensed and all the color drained from her face. Something wasn't right, she could sense it in the web of plants around her. She retracted the vines that had been sticking out of her skin, and stood hastily.

Rogue shot up after her reaction and looked around. "What is it?"

"Two."

"Wha'?"

The black-haired girl shut her eyes and connected with the plants around her with her mind, something the professor had been working extensively with her on. Plants could only sense changes in their environment, and whoever just came in wanted Julian to sense them. With her ears she heard a hard metallic chop against wood, and her eyes snapped open as she grabbed her side with a sharp intake of breath.

Rogue supported her as she took another step back and almost stumbled. "What just happened?"

Julian shook her head as she clutched her side. "They wanted to get our attention."

"And I'd say we achieved that."

The two Xavier students looked up at the voice. Rogue was a little confused as the figure approached because she could have sworn the voice belonged to Claire Darth, but that wasn't who walked into the space.

Her neon green eyes glittered behind her tan mask in a smile. "Well hello! Long time no see."

"Clay Dune? How the hell did ya get in here!?" Rogue shouted.

"Oh come now, I'm a master thief when I want to be, I've been in and out of her more times than you know." Clay answered snobbishly.

Despite her attitude, there was something off physically about her. She leaned heavily to one side, and instead of gesturing with her hands as she normally did, they hung at her sides, with her curved sword held heavily in her right hand. Her tan-gray skin was an ashier shade than normal and even with her mask it was clear she was gritting her teeth when the silence extended.

Julian took a deep breath and stood up straight, ignoring the pain she felt from the vines that died while she was connected to them. "Who else is here? And who _are_ you again?"

Clay's eyes softened. "_I_ am Clay Dune. I lead a squad at the Haven." Julian's eyes widened. "Ah yes, I thought you would react to that name. I know Ash told you about it."

"Ash? Ashley? She's with you?" Julian shook her head. "Just how does this Haven work?"

"We'll talk later, but the Haven isn't the best place for you to be right now…" Clay paused. "Stay here, with the X-Men…" She added softly. "And as for who else is here, I couldn't leave without her insisting on comin'." Clay responded, looking over her right shoulder to where a small frame was waiting in the tangled shadows. She turned her head forward again and she smiled under the mask. "She wanted to see you."

Ash walked in hesitantly behind her leader, glancing from Clay to Julian. She was decked out in her green and blue uniform with the brown and hazel curved lines on her arms and legs, and silver paw prints on her front with a matching purple one on her back, as well as brown fingerless gloves and boots.

Julian blinked at her girlfriend's outfit, her eyes traveling over her body. "Uhhh… is that… spandex?"

Clay and Rogue laughed, but Rogue stopped abruptly and glared at the other mutant. Clay's eyes went to Julian as the girl continued to stare dumbstruck.

"Better get used to it, spandex is all the rage for mutants and wannabe super heroes."

Rogue's head snapped to Clay and she gave her another heated gaze. "That better not have been a cut at our missin' teammates." She growled.

"Never." The gray-skinned mutant insisted, her tone hurt. "Actually that's what I wanted to talk to you about. AKA: the reason why I'm here."

"Oh yeah?" Rogue snarled. She wanted Clay Dune out of there, but her curiosity and worry about Benj influenced her to listen to what the mutant leader had to say.

"Indeed." Clay mused, tearing her eyes from Rogue's angry gaze to again glance at the two other girls. Julian was still seemingly frozen, and Ash was just looking around at the others in the space blankly, reading their expressions. The black-haired girl's confused expression invoked a laugh from the Haven leader. "Ash, I think your girlfriend is frozen, you should do something about that."

Ash nodded slightly and walked up to Julian, placing her hand on her chin and gently forcing her to look down. There was still a dark shadow on Julian's cheek, and although the cut on the side of her face was closed its red shade was prominent against the pallor of her skin. The smaller girl traced her finger along the cut and embraced her, muttering something that sounded like: "I'm sorry."

Rogue and Clay looked away from the two and their eyes met.

"Fine, what do ya have ta say, 'cuz right now Ah don't really wanna hear ya speak."

Clay shrugged, wincing a little as she shifted her weight and sheathed her sword. "What? Would you rather duke it out right here?"

"Ya don't seem in any form ta fight me." Rogue smirked, picking up on the irritation Clay radiated after her comment.

Her neon green eyes narrowed and Clay lunged forward at Rogue, knocking her closer to the plants behind her, and swept her leg behind Rogue's so she wouldn't topple over. In the same motion Clay hooked an arm under Rogue's and pulled a knife seemingly out of nowhere with the other and moved it close to her victim's neck.

"You were sayin'…?" Clay growled.

Rogue's eyes were incredibly wide and her heart was hammering from adrenaline. The girl had moved faster than she expected she could. The knife at her throat wasn't putting her at ease any either.

After Clay took a few calming breaths she put the knife away, and leaned away from Rogue, allowing her to stand up straight.

"Don't. Push me." She snarled, pointing a tan-gray finger at the goth. "All I have to say is: I have a message from Turbulence."

Rogue's eyes softened, her eyebrows spreading apart. "B-Benj?"

"_Sí."_ Clay nodded.

"Leo used ta answah like that…" Rogue muttered, memories springing up uninvited in her head.

_Leo and his Spanish. That kid was a goofball when it came to interjecting Spanish phrases into everyday English._

Clay shuffled her feet a little, grinding her teeth together against some unseen pain. She pulled a small spherical device off of her belt and handed it to Rogue.

The goth frowned, inspecting the Haven communicator. "What's this?"

"He didn't think you'd want to hear it from me, so I recorded it for him." Rogue looked at the device skeptically. Clay rolled her eyes. "Just press the damn button."

Rogue complied and the buzzing background noise of recordings filled the air.

"Hey Rogue…" Benj's voice sprung from the small device, sounding raspy and tired. Rogue squeezed her eyes shut and bit her lower lip. _He was alive_.

"Listen, I… I know it seems like…" He sighed. "…Just listen. I'm working with the Haven mutants right now… at least until w-I get some things figured out. You need to get Xavier to stop looking for us. We're in good hands right now; plus there are bigger things to worry about.

"By now I'd imagine Magneto is already back to recruiting for the Brotherhood, heh, he tried to snag me didn't he? If you guys can get to any of his targets first, and I urge you to try, _don't let them join him._ I'm sure the professor can tell you why, we had ears at the memorial service for Leo. Magneto warned Xavier he was recruiting for the purpose of preparing for **war**. The X-Men must block him whenever possible, I'd say start with the old Cerebro files. Somehow, I have a feeling that's where he's going as well.

"I have to say, the Haven is in a weak state right now, and they truly mean the X-Men no harm. _But don't get in our way._ I don't want to see you hurt, and I don't want to have to face you guys on the other side, Rogue. I—"

"That's enough." Another voice interrupted.

Benj coughed in the recording and finished. "Talk to Lance. Convince him to tell you guys things. And… be careful."

The recording ended with a click.

Rogue extended the device back to Clay with a distant look in her eyes, but the other girl shook her head. "Keep it. It'll play the recording if you press the button… and if you hold the button down it'll put you through to yours truly." Clay stepped back toward the way they had come. "For emergencies."

She nodded to Ash, who separated herself from Julian and walked over to where her leader was.

"I trust you to let those who need to know, _know_."

* * *

><p>Samantha picked up her gym bag and waved to the janitor at the Quincy Community Center.<p>

"Hey thanks Jim. Just lock up once you're done!" She said cheerfully as she exited into the already chilly air. The sun had gone down an hour or two ago, so Samantha was in for a dark bike ride home. She shrugged the bag onto her shoulder, mounted her bike, and started down the road.

Posters of anti-mutant propaganda were pasted all over the downtown area, but the girl had long ago learned to ignore it. They were better than what the media made mutants out to be.

She would show them one way or another.

Normally if she left the community center before it was dark she would spend some time tearing down the trashy propaganda, but when it was dark she didn't want to risk it. Even in a high-density of mutants town people went missing. And they were almost _always_ mutants.

As she sped down the streets she didn't notice most of the posters, but one caught her eye and forced her to stop. Her wheels screeched with the suddenness of her braking and she dismounted her bike quickly.

The poster was taped to a light pole on an intersection. The light orange-glow of the street lamp reflected off the silver frames of her glasses and danced as she moved her head. She reached up and tore the poster down, muttering its writing in disgust.

"_We are the superior race! Smoke out the mutant scum!"_ The paper was filled with drawn flames. She crumpled it up and threw it down, pausing to grind it into the pavement with the heel of her foot.

One of the community center's active members had his house burned down the week before.

"The moronic arsonist probably got his idea from the poster." She muttered angrily. She was about to get back on her bike when she changed her mind and instead slammed her fist into the light pole. Sparks flew from the light above and from the gaping hole in the side of the dull gray metal. Samantha frowned and took a few slow breaths, retracting her fist from the inside of the pole. In the flickering light she could see her skin glinting bronze. Her knuckles were slightly dented but the dents quickly pushed themselves out and she sighed.

Her form returned to normal and she got back on her bike, preparing to pedal home… when the feeling that someone was behind her stopped her dead in her tracks.

"It doesn't make sense, does it?" A cool voice asked behind her.

She turned slowly to see a man in a long tan trench coat and silver hair before her. As brilliant as she could be at times, sometimes the girl lacked better judgment. She answered. "No, it doesn't. Mutants are stronger, better than them. Why do we continue to get persecuted?"

Magneto smiled a little. _She_ he could work with.

* * *

><p>The Brotherhood dragged their bruised bodies back into the Boarding House and collapsed in the reconstructed living room. Blob basically face-planted into the large armchair in the corner; while Lance, Pietro, and Wanda fell exhausted onto the couch. Toad was the only one not remotely on auto-pilot and he stumbled into the coffee table that sat in front of the couch. He was too tired to even let out a squeak.<p>

"Pathetic." Mystique scolded, following the team in. "No wonder you continually lose to everyone."

"You… used… Sabretooth… for combat… lessons!" Toad gasped. "We coulda died!"

"And what a shame that would've been." Mystique rolled her eyes.

Quicksilver sat up a little straighter on the couch. "Hey, you've been pushing us to our breaking point for the last two days. I'd say you _wanted_ us dead."

"Again, a dismal shame." Mystique said with a wave of her hand.

Pietro stood straight up in a flash. "Hey! When my father—"

"_Your father_ **told** me to do this. Now sit your ass back down on that couch and listen." Mystique ordered. The room went silent. "If I'm correct Magneto will be back any minute with an announcement to make. So until then, shut it."

The teens sat in silence and caught their breath as they glanced around at each other. There was something Mystique wasn't telling them.

True to her word, Magneto came walking in the door a few minutes later dressed in his gray suit. He smiled arrogantly as he strolled into the room.

"My Brotherhood, I would like to make an announcement concerning this team." He began. "I have decided it is time to expand our ranks and take in new recruits. I believe this will hold you all to do your best, because as you will see… _I can replace you._" His tone was not ominous but it came across that way as he spoke the last few words.

He looked to his right where a girl with blonde hair tied in a braid, tan skin, and silver rectangular glasses was walking in. "Brotherhood, meet your newest member: Samantha Quincy, **Automaton**."

The girl put a hand on her hip as she inspected the others in the room critically. "Hi." Was all she said.

Wanda smiled a little at the new arrival. "Finally, another girl."

Blob scoffed from his chair. "Psh. Right. You're so tiny, I could probably crush you with my pinky!"

The new girl smirked at this, her harsh bronze-colored eyes lighting up at the challenge. "For one, I'm pretty tall for a girl. And secondly…" She clenched her fists and her body changed into sold bronze, making her look like a living statue. **"I would like to see you try."** Her voice was hard and metallic in this form, making her particularly menacing.

Wanda stood up to inspect her a little closer. Perhaps having a girl like this on the team would strengthen them supremely.

"Look out boys, it looks like we have a Sisterhood of Mutants forming." Mystique laughed.

* * *

><p><strong>And you guys were hoping I'd give you more information on everyone's favorite trio of brothers. BAHAHAHA. You must be patient young one. (I hope you all are lovingirritated by the suspense surrounding them!)**

**Samantha Quincy, AKA Automan, is the first of several background Brotherhood characters coming in. Now remember how I said I was looking for characters? I've sent messages out to those who were interested and I'm looking forward to seeing them. After the next chapter update I will accept no more, and may or may not use all the ones I receive (okay lie, I will use them all eventually no doubt).**

**Next chapter: WOLVERINE! Yeah! Logan's still having trouble dealing with Leo's disappearance (he thinks)/death (everyone else thinks) and decides to take a road trip, winding up in Canada where he meets an inverted young mutant named Quinn. With no family to turn to Logan decides to bring him back to the mansion, but will an unwanted visitor sway Quinn's alliegance?!**


	34. Chapter 33: Lone Wolves

**Disclaimer: The X-Men and Brotherhood do not belong to me, they're Marvel's.**

**Author's note:** Well that took longer than expected.

This was supposed to be up yesterday. As you can see, that did not happen. I'm really struggling through school right now (it's like they _want_ to kill us), so updating is a pain. But here it is!

**Enjoy. Read. Review.**

* * *

><p>"Logan!"<p>

The gruff man wiped his hand on his jeans and quickly stood up. The garage around him was in a semi-state of disarray, with miscellaneous tools thrown about. He looked down at his motorcycle with a mix of pride and annoyance. The repairs it needed after being in too limited of use were setting him back. If it had been working properly he could have avoided the coming situation, he would not have to see the hurt in her eyes when she figured out what he was up to.

He could have been gone by now, his initial thought of taking the Dysons' bike had come and gone. Logan couldn't bring himself to use it.

He did his best not to look suspicious as the mutant behind the voice came in.

"Logan, gawd Ah've been lookin' evahwhere for ya!" Rogue smiled for a second, and then her eyes fell to his motorcycle and the stuffed backpack beside it on the concrete floor. Her voice wavered at the end and her emerald eyes looked sadly at him.

Logan coughed. "Well, I was just fixin' up my bike. What's goin' on Rogue?"

"The professah wanted to talk to us…" She said slowly. "Julian and Ah got a visit from Clay Dune."

"Clay Dune?!" He growled. "What was she doing here?"

"Come on, Ah'll show ya." Rogue answered dully, waving her hand.

For the first few steps it looked like she was just going to let him walk through the door, but she whirled around suddenly and blocked the door frame with her arms.

Narrowing her eyes at him she contemplated how to tell him off. It was pretty obvious he was getting ready to leave, but she knew he would not tell her (maybe not ever) until it was too late. He raised a blue-black eyebrow at her and slowly and methodically crossed his arms, like he knew what she was going to say. His hands and clothes were smeared with grease here and there, the stubble on his face was longer than usual, and his blue eyes more of a stormy gray. All together he looked weathered down and beaten, like he just had a very bad fight with Sabretooth. As she looked at him she almost felt like not accusing him.

"Ya're leavin'… ain't ya?" She asked bluntly. Before he could even open his mouth she continued. "Don't lie ta me Logan. Ah can tell. Why?" Her voice was growing louder and a little more unstable with every word. "We- Ah just lost Benj… would ya really leave me here alone?"

He winced at her words as though they were spikes thrown into his torso. Again he found himself in a situation where words would work the best, and he was floundering at what to even say.

He reached out and grabbed her shoulders gently, avoiding the bare flesh exposed by her purple top, and softly forced her arms down so they were no longer blocking the doorframe.

"Rogue… yer never alone here. You've got Summers, and Jean, and half-pint, and the elf. Not to mention the prof, Beast, Storm, and the rest of the little hooligans."

Rogue shook her head. "But Ah need _ya_ Logan. At least right now. Ah need someone solid who's not just gonna—" Her voice cracked and she hung her head.

"Shh." Logan whispered, drawing her in. "Yeah I'm leaving, but I promise… I'll come back. I just need my space right now."

Rogue buried her head in his shoulder and whispered. "If ya find him—"

"I'll bring 'em back, I'll bring them all back."

* * *

><p>"Are you sure you are okay Julian?" Storm asked quietly.<p>

The girl nodded silently. She, Storm, Beast, Xavier, and the students that didn't leave for Thanksgiving were in the professor's study waiting for the last of the arrivals to come in. Julian sat on the couch next to the hearth and observed everything around her blankly. Beside her sat Scott and Jean, who had not left for the holiday yet, while Colossus and Kurt chatted behind them. The slow crackle of the fire drew Julian in and gave her something to focus on instead on the chaos she had just joined.

Being an X-Man was complicated.

Storm and Beast glanced at each other from their opposite sides of the fireplace. An unspoken word went between the two of them and Beast tried to strike up a conversation with Julian again.

The door to the study opened with a dull creak and Rogue and Logan walked in.

"Alright Chuck, what's going on? Why was Clay Dune here?" Logan asked gruffly.

Xavier rotated his wheelchair to face the new arrivals. "Logan, Rogue please come in." As the two complied Kurt hoped over the back of the couch and plopped down sharply next to Julian, while Colossus merely rested his arms on the back of the couch and leaned forward slightly. The professor turned to Scott and Jean. "I know you two wanted to leave for your holidays, but I think this will be important enough to delay you shortly." He looked back at Logan as the man settled on the arm of the couch. "Honestly I don't have a clue on what's going on, Rogue called this meeting quite suddenly."

Logan raised an eyebrow and turned his head slowly to look at Rogue who stood frozen beside the couch, what little she had of color drained from her face. He scoffed. Rogue hadn't planned on having to explain everything, it was very obvious.

"Well uh…" Rogue muttered.

Charles chuckled. "Why don't you start from the top?"

Rogue sighed as everyone's heads turned to her. Grudgingly she walked up beside the professor.

"Julian and Ah were in the greenhouse and we got two surprise visitors—" Rogue started.

"Clay Dune?" Scott asked. His eyes narrowed behind his shades. "That girl, what does she want with us?"

"Wait, two?" Jean questioned, a puzzled look on her face. "Was it another Haven mutant?"

"No, it was a—." Rogue stopped herself. "Yes it was a Haven mutant!" She finished with an annoyed tone.

"Rogue…" Julian whispered hollowly. "Please?"

Rogue looked confused at Julian quickly and then nodded slightly. Julian was afraid Scott would attack her for dating who he considered the "enemy", and wanted Rogue to skirt as far around that fact as possible. She didn't realize he already knew.

"It was Ash, Ashley Wolfe." Rogue stated. "She didn't say much, well Ah mean Ash said nothin'… but Clay…" She recounted their conversation and pulled the gray spherical Haven communicator from her pocket. "Benj had a message for us." Before anyone could ask questions she pressed the button and Benj's voice came once again from the device.

"Hey Rogue… Listen, I… I know it seems like…" He sighed. "…Just listen. I'm working with the Haven mutants right now… at least until w-I get some things figured out. You need to get Xavier to stop looking for us. We're in good hands right now; plus there are bigger things to worry about.

"By now I'd imagine Magneto is already back to recruiting for the Brotherhood, heh, he tried to snag me didn't he? If you guys can get to any of his targets first, and I urge you to try, _don't let them join him._ I'm sure the professor can tell you why, we had ears at the memorial service for Leo. Magneto warned Xavier he was recruiting for the purpose of preparing for **war**."

"_War_ Chuck?" Logan growled. "Why didn't you—"

"Quiet!" Rogue silenced him.

"The X-Men must block him whenever possible, I'd say start with the old Cerebro files. Somehow, I have a feeling that's where he's going as well.

"I have to say, the Haven is in a weak state right now, and they truly mean the X-Men no harm. _But don't get in our way._ I don't want to see you hurt, and I don't want to have to face you guys on the other side, Rogue. I—"

"That's enough." Another voice interrupted the recording.

Benj coughed in the recording and finished. "Talk to Lance. Convince him to tell you guys things. And… be careful."

The recording ended with a click.

Silence extended out into the group before Scott spoke up. "At least we know Benj is alive, but where do we start?"

Xavier rubbed his chin and sighed. "That's the hard part. If Magneto has gotten himself access to old Cerebro files he could have an army within the month."

"Well, then that would give us a great place to start, wouldn't it?" Beast suggested. "If he's looking in Cerebro, then why shouldn't we?"

"Good point." Xavier said. After a few seconds he had determined a plan. "Alright, here's what we will do: Storm, Beast, and I will look over who would be the most likely targets of his recruitments. Scott, Jean, I know you two want to leave for Thanksgiving, and you will, but on your way back I may have you check on a few mutants." He glanced around the group. "The rest of you should just enjoy your long weekend. I believe Logan had a Danger Room session planned as well."

"Nah, the kids need a break. I was just gonna do a run by myself." Logan shrugged. "But if ya want me to check out a kid let me know and I'll head out."

Rogue shot a suspicious glance at Logan. So now he was going to use that as an excuse to leave? Couldn't Xavier tell what he was up to?

"We'll check back with you on that Logan. As for right now, I think that's all we have. Let's go!"

* * *

><p>The gruff man slung his pack over his shoulder and mounted his bike. He grabbed his helmet off the handle bars and put it on, snapping the visor down. His motorcycle sat just outside the garage of the Institute in the cool night air. The sky above was a deep navy blue, lightly studded with stars, and a light cover of gray clouds rolled by overhead. The moon shone dully in the night, a simple crescent in the sky.<p>

Logan took a deep breath through his nose and then let out a low growl. His road trip was about to begin, and he had no clue where he was going. The thought of long nights in the open on his own lightened his heart and mind. It would be like old times, moving on without promise of a destination, but now he had somewhere to return.

Hearing Benj's message gave him new hope. The boy had slipped up during part of it, he'd almost said "we". Of course he could have been referring to Tyler, but something told Logan's instincts it was an allusion to Leo. If the runt was still out there, Logan was determined to find him along the way.

The teen's scent was fading from the area, but Logan still had a grasp on it. That and he still had a promise to fulfill to the boy.

He kicked the stand up on his motorcycle and started the engine, the purr filling the night's quiet stillness.

"So what, ya weren't gonna say good-bye?"

Wolverine turned suddenly, an involuntary snarl escaping his lips at his surprise. A dark figure stepped out of the shadows of the side of the garage and into the light cast by a light on the side of the garage doors. The shadows still cast on her face made it seem hollow. Rogue walked straight up to Logan and gritted her teeth. She was wearing leather pants, a plain purple T-shirt, black combat boots, and a long brown trench coat Logan recognized as either being the exact same or the identical twin of the coat she had worn when the X-Men were on the run immediately after the mutant exposure incident. She poked him in the chest with a gloved and narrowed her eyes.

"Ya were just gonna leave?!"

Logan's eyes softened and he took off his helmet before taking Rogue's hand in his own. "I know, I should have—"

"But ya didn't!" Rogue half-yelled, her voice strained. "Ya can't just—"

"Rogue I need to do this." He said gruffly, meeting her eyes with a sudden intensity. "I need time to clear my head, I can't even use the Danger Room right now, did you know that? It used to calm me, or at least let me work things out but now I can't even go in there!" He sighed. "It's like Leo…"

Rogue squeezed his hand. "Ah know." She looked down at his hands and then back to his eyes. "Let me come with ya."

He shook his head. "No."

"Come on Logan!"

"No. Yer not coming with."

"Ah'm not lettin' ya do this alone!"

"But that's exactly what I need to do Rogue. Do this alone. I need some space."

Rogue screwed her eyes shut, but did not say any more.

Logan placed his left hand on the side of her head and bent her head down. He kissed the top of her head and then ruffled her hair. She hugged him tightly for a few seconds and then stepped back from his motorcycle.

"See you soon Rogue." Logan said softly, placing his helmet back on and restarting his motorcycle.

Rogue nodded dimly.

"If ya find him Logan, bring 'im back."

He nodded, she'd known from the start just what he hoped to do.

* * *

><p>Logan wasn't even sure where he was any more.<p>

And he didn't care.

His bike whizzed past cars and continued down the long straight road. He reveled in the freedom of the open road. Only a few cars showed up every hour, and a few times not even that. By this point he was somewhere in Canada, the desire to see his home country again swayed his planned route.

The cool air sliced through his jacket as he continued on. It was his third day on the road, and his gas tank was getting low. Green scenery flew by as he pulled onto a side road leading to a small town in search of a gas station.

He slowed considerably as a semi-run down gas station came into sight. The gas tanks were well-taken care of, but the over hanger was rusting in several places. He pulled his bike alongside a tank and filled up his bike. He watched the numbers increase exponentially.

"Yikes, when did gas get to cost so much?" He grumbled as he swiped his card. He mounted his motorcycle, but decided before he left he should see what the place had for food. He started his bike up and parked it in a parking spot.

He looked up from putting down his kickstand to see a high-school aged kid sitting next to the doors of the gas station's store. The boy looked weak, he head bowed in between his raised knees and his arms resting limply on this knees as well. His dark brown hair was overgrown and shaggy, reaching his ears and falling into his shadowed eyes. He was obviously an older kid, there was faint stubble across his face. The clothes he was wearing were mostly ratty, his gray T-shirt was torn in several places, and his jeans frayed at the bottom, an old pair of black sneakers were on his feet, but the jacket he wore was in good shape, being a slick black wind-jacket with silver stripes running up his arms. On a thick cord around his neck was what looked like a black arrowhead, which dangled in front of his chest and swayed slightly in the breeze.

He looked up slowly as Logan got up and walked toward the door, his face hallow and his eyes set deep in his face. His eyes glinted silver as the sunlight hit them.

Logan walked inside the building, making a promise to himself to buy the kid something before he left.

The bell on the door rang as he walked in and the clerk, an older man with gray hair and round glasses, greeted him.

The interior was not very big. There was a counter with a cash register where the clerk stood, behind which were cigarettes and a few items of alcohol. There were a few aisles with anything typical one could expect to be in a gas station.

"Well good day sir, can I help you?"

"Yeah, can I use yer restroom?"

The clerk nodded. "Go ahead, oh and if you want we offer showers for a small price."

Logan raised an eyebrow, and then looked down at himself. There were a few leaves and several spots of dirt on his jacket, and his jeans were a bit filthy as well. No doubt he well-reflected his "out-on-the-road" trip.

He shrugged. "Eh, well why not? How much?"

"Do you plan on paying with American money?"

"That obvious?"

"Your bike has a US license plate."

Logan nodded. "I can pay with credit as well."

"Fifty-cents for soap, a dollar for half an hour of water." The clerk said, walking around from behind the counter and gesturing to a back hallway.

"A small price is right." Logan muttered.

"We don't get many customers here, but we like to be hospitable." The clerk responded.

The bell above the door dinged and the two men looked back at the door. The teen from outside walked in, rubbing the back of his head and shuffling his feet.

The clerk glanced back to Logan. "Come, I'll show you were the showers are." He looked back at the teen and held his hand up, a signal for him to wait.

Logan followed the clerk and watched him retrieve a bar of soap and a towel from a locked box. Questions sprung to his mind on the kid from outside.

"So that kid hang around often?"

The clerk sighed. "Yeah, Quinn, though most in the town call him the free-lifter. He's got a history of theft in the few short months he's been here, but he'd just trying to stay alive. This store's the only one that won't turn him away upon sight."

"Sounds like you know him."

"He's a good kid at heart, but he's suffering from a lot. He doesn't know who his parents are, and honestly I don't think he even knows where he is most of the time."

"Drugs?" Logan asked gruffly.

"No, I don't think so. He's got some memory issues, says he can't remember anything from before he got into town." The clerk said. "I'm afraid he lives in an abandoned barn on the very edge of town. As a mutant no one here will allow him to live within the main part of town."

Logan raised his eyebrow. "A mutant?"

"Hmmm, oh yes. He has to deal with a lot of persecution at times. I try to help when I can, but he's on his own most of the time."

"Kid's strong."

"Yeah." And with that, their conversation ended. The clerk handed Logan the towel and soap.

The X-Men nodded and went inside the room the clerk had pointed to.

The shower had been better than the man expected, and he came out grudgingly from the station's showers. He grabbed the extra set of clothes from his pack and threw them on before walking back out into the store.

The clerk was behind the counter once again, his chin dipping onto his chest as the man dozed.

Logan smirked and walked up to the counter, and slapped down his dollar fifty.

The clerk's head snapped up and he began apologizing. "Sorry sir, as I said before, we don't get many customers."

"Not a problem." Wolverine shrugged it off and glanced around the shop. He spotted the kid walking through one of the aisles. When the kid walked he did so stiffly, like there was something causing him pain. He was about to ask a question of the clerk when the kid spoke up.

"Stan, I know I went a little over my five dollar limit but—" He started, walking slowly up to the counter, and then the clerk interrupted.

"Don't worry about it Quinn, I'll cover it." The clerk, evidently Stan, replied.

Quinn smiled solemnly, his eyes now gray since he was out of the sunlight. He placed the few items he had collected on the counter and the clerk checked them out and put some cash from his own wallet in the register.

"You need anything else kid?" Logan asked.

Quinn looked suspiciously at the man and shook his head. "I can take care of myself." The teen scooped his items back up and headed out the door.

"Well thanks for the service." Logan grunted, waving a quick good-bye to the clerk and walking back outside.

Frowning, Logan took his cell phone out of his pack and flipped it open. Rogue had tried calling him a couple times, but he wasn't going to call her, less she bite his head off.

Logan dialed a number into his phone.

"Hello Logan." Charles Xavier's voice said over the phone.

"'Sup, Chuck?" The man replied with a smirk.

"Rogue's still not happy with you."

He sighed. "Of course she's not. But listen, there's a kid here—"

"A mutant? What is his name, I'll see if we have a Cerebro file on him."

"Quinn, don't know much about 'im, but I think he needs our help."

"How do you plan on getting him back? I'm not sure customs will like it if you just try to come back with a random minor."

Logan frowned and leaned against his bike. "How do you know I'm not in the US? You tracked my phone?"

There were a few moments of silence. "Well, yes. "

He snorted. "Alright, well I'll figure that out later."

* * *

><p>Quinn shouldered the door open to the barn. Rays of light streamed down from holes in the roof, making the swirling dust glitter like falling gold. The interior had been rearranged into a sort of living space. There was a wooden bench on one side with a tattered blanket on it that served as a bed, and the old shelves along the walls were filled with all sorts of things.<p>

He sighed as he walked in and set down the items he had gotten from the gas station on a half-rotted table. Slowly he pulled a wad of cash out of his pocket. He stared at it with a mix of pain and satisfaction, separating a few of the bills and spreading them out flat on the table top.

He laid his hands flat on the wood to either side of the flattened dollar bills, set his feet at shoulder length, hung his head and sighed.

"What am I doing?" He whispered, his voice was soft and raspy. He shook his head and screwed his eyes shut. Letting out an angry roar he flung the table upside down. The table crashed to the ground and the weathered and rotting wood splintered.

Quinn grasped his head, nearly pulling his hair out, and continued to yell. Stumbling back his back touched the wall of the barn, from there he slid down to the ground slowly. With a sob he grew silent.

A sudden banging on the door of the barn made the boy sit upright with fright. He tried to scurry up but the person at the door shoved the worn wood away and walked in.

It was a tall and burly man with rough black hair on his hear and chin, and large rather meaty hands. He barged in and stomped up to the boy, who continued to try to scurry back.

"Well boy, you've done it now."

Quinn managed to scramble on top of the wooden bench that served as his bed and then dive behind it. The man knocked it aside and made a grab for the teen. Although he tried to avoid his grasp, Quinn was caught and the large man hauled him up off the ground with ease. He flailed like mad, but the man had a firm grip on the back of his jacket.

"_Boy._ You've got sticky fingers."

"I—"

"Shut it." The man growled, shaking him.

The jacket on his back slipped looser, and Quinn's eyes widened with an idea. Suddenly he flung himself forward and both his black jacket and T-shirt ripped. With a muffled _thud_ he fell to the ground.

"Why you little!" The man kicked out and the teen rolled onto his back.

Quinn's eyes widened, the sun reflecting on them making them like little pools of mercury, as the cool obsidian arrowhead thudded against his skin. The second it settled below his collarbone the black obsidian sheen spread to his skin out from the arrowhead.

"What the—?" He backed up quickly as the teen's appearance altered.

The black sheen spread across his entire skin, encasing him in living rock. His measly muscles grew, and his shoulders widened slightly. Once the transformation was done Quinn glanced down at his hands, now completely black, and he glanced up at the man and glared.

"What a mistake." He muttered, jumping up and at the man, crashing through the barn wall.

The man recovered quickly and grabbed Quinn by the back of his neck and slammed him into the ground. The man knelt down close and growled in the teen's ear as he shoved his face into the dirt.

"You just never learn. Learn your place scum."

Quinn spat out dirt and grit his teeth. He struggled from under the man but was unable to escape.

"I'm sorry, I'll give the money back!" He shouted. "Just lemme up!"

"Not this time punk. I'm gonna make sure you learn your lesson, mutant or not!" The man emphasized his point by slamming the boy's head in the ground again.

He brought his other fist back and was about to bring it down when a sudden noise stopped him.

_Shhink._

"Alright bub, I'll give you three seconds to get off the kid..."

The man turned his head slowly to see Wolverine behind him with his claws on his right hand extended just behind his head.

"…or I see just _how_ thick yer skull is."

The man stood up shakily and backed away slowly. "You mutants are all the same."

Logan chuckled. "Yeah, we tend to look after our own and hate assholes like you."

The man narrowed his eyes at Logan, but he could tell when he was beat. "You take that kid out of here then, 'cuz if I see him I'm gonna have to teach him again."

Logan extended his claws again and the man turned and ran.

Shaking his head the elder mutant knelt beside the younger. "You okay, kid?"

Quinn accepted the help up and stood. He simply nodded before brushing himself off. "You didn't have to help. I can take a punch."

"Doesn't mean you should have to." Logan replied. The teen stared at him blankly, so he sighed. Retracting his claws, he held out his hand.

"Logan."

"Quinn."

* * *

><p>"There!"<p>

Logan looked to where the kid was pointing. The two were now traveling on his motorcycle through what wilderness they could find. Quinn had gestured to a rocky land structure that was surrounded by trees.

With a nod Logan turned off the road and steered the bike into the area suggested.

The pair didn't talk much as they set up a sort of camp for the night. Logan had given his leather jacket to Quinn, since his shirt was shredded by his attacker. Within an hour the two had set up a fire and laid out Logan's sleeping roll and Quinn's blanket.

Logan grabbed what food he had from his pack and tossed a bread roll to the teen. Quinn caught it with ease and leaned back against the rock behind him. He tore into the food with eagerness.

After he finished he looked up at Logan. "Thanks… I guess. So what was this Xavier Institute you were talking about?"

"It's a place where mutants can learn to use their powers." The older mutant replied. "It's been my home for a while."

Quinn nodded and fingered the leather cord around his neck.

"So how do those powers of yers work?"

The teen shrugged. "When obsidian touches my skin I get that appearance where I'm pretty much solid rock." He held the cord out. "I don't really know where it came from, but it comes in handy."

"Stan said you got memory problems, huh?"

He narrowed his eyes and stared into the fire. His past wasn't something he liked to talk about (mostly because he couldn't remember anything before a certain point).

"I have a perfect photographic memory." He muttered, whipping his hair out of his eyes.

Wolverine frowned. "Then why—"

"I can't remember anything before five months ago, okay?!" He shouted, standing up suddenly and flinging his hands down. "I wake up one morning under some trees and all I got is this obsidian arrowhead, a gray jumpsuit, and these…" He pulled a chain out of his pocket and held it up. The firelight hit it and glinted. Two dog tags hung on the chain.

Logan started. "You seriously can't remember anything?"

"Flashes sometimes…" Quinn muttered, sitting back down. "…this Charles Xavier… do you think he could… I dunno, help?"

"Probably."

The two fell quiet and they took in the silence of the landscape. Crickets chirped in the cool air, followed by the rustle of leaves as a breeze swept by.

Quinn took a deep breath as he stared up at the stars.

Logan folded his arms behind his head and laid down on his bed roll. He started to close his eyes when Quinn's voice interrupted.

"The X-Men… that's the same group who just saved those policemen in Bayville, isn't it?"

"Yeah…" Logan grumbled. "I'm lookin' for my teammate who disappeared."

"…Let's find him."

* * *

><p>Groaning, Quinn sat up from his position on the ground. It was early morning and the sun was just reaching the sky as a full orb. He rubbed his hands together, trying to bring some warmth back into them. The night had been somewhat favorable, but being early December it got rather cold at night. Stretching his arms above his head he looked around.<p>

The man Logan was still asleep on his bed roll on the other side of the now dead fire. He still wasn't sure what to make of him, but the fact he didn't ask too many questions gave him a positive opinion of him.

"Well good morning."

Quinn jumped and spun around. On a rock nearby was a blue-skinned woman. His eyes were nearly bugging out of his head, because as far as he knew he'd had very few interactions with other mutants.

The second after she spoke Logan whirled up out of his sleeping position and still half-asleep unsheathed his claws with a snarl. Blinking away the sleep from his eyes he stared at Mystique. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Mystique crossed her legs and waved her hand absent-mindedly. "Oh, just a little recruiting for the Brotherhood cause."

Logan shook his head and blinked bleary-eyed. "Get out, now."

"Now, now Wolverine. Shouldn't the boy get to hear both sides?" She asked in an anything but innocent tone. "Doesn't he want to know what happened to his parents?"

"My p-parents?" Quinn sat up straighter and leaned closer to the new arrival, his ears practically perking up.

"Don't listen to her Quinn, she's just trying to get to you." Logan warned.

Mystique smirked. "He doesn't even know his last name Logan. How can you possibly hope to help him? By teaching him to fight robotic simulations in a metal room?" She laughed scornfully. "No, he wants something practical, don't you Quinn Leigh?"

The teen blinked. The last name she used hit him hard. "That's my name…" He muttered, his mind beginning to open. "How do you know my name?"

"I know a lot about you my young Obsidian. Would you like to learn?" Mystique crooned. She stood slowly and extended a hand down to the teen.

Quinn stared dumbfound at her hand.

Logan stood as well, retracting his claws, and raised his hands palms out. "Listen to me Quinn, whatever she promises she can't, she _won't_ deliver on."

"Do you want to risk never knowing what happened to you, Quinn?" The woman asked, her eyes not leaving the teen's face. "How do you know that Xavier can help you? I am proof of your lost knowledge. I _can_ help you."

Quinn looked sorrowfully back at Logan before taking Mystique's hand.

"No!"

"Sorry Logan…" Quinn muttered.

The man hesitated in walking forward, and a sharp sudden pain to the back of his head stopped him in his tracks. He fell forward dazed.

When he got back up, Quinn and Mystique were gone.

* * *

><p><em>The Brotherhood Boarding House<em>

Quinn looked in the mirror and fingered his hair. He twirled a piece through his fingers before looking back down at the electric razor on the sink's counter. He picked it up before he could change his mind and turned it on.

When he was done he looked in the mirror again. His hair was now buzzed on the sides of his head, while being a little longer on top. With his unruly hair now gone and his stubble trimmed away his features were well defined. Hard steely eyes looked back at him in the mirror under arching eyebrows, his cheekbones stood out from his face due to mere malnourishment, casting shadows across his cheeks that made his face hollow, and his ears laid close to his head. There was a small scar that went through his left eyebrow, leaving a small part bald.

He gripped the counter and leaned closer into the mirror and examined himself. He traced a scar on his neck down to his chest and frowned.

How had that happened?

The vein on his forehead stood out as he gritted his teeth, trying to hold in a yell. Something in his subconscious made him grab his obsidian arrowhead in his hand. His body turned to the hard shiny stone and he roared, slamming his fist into the mirror.

Glass shards exploded outward, shattering the air around him.

* * *

><p><strong>Alright let me know what you thought? And thanks for being patient with me guys. I know how it is to wait on stories, especially when someone (me) decides to leave their readers in constant suspense (man, I'm just awful. If I was reading this and had no idea what was going to happen next I would loose my mind, so you guys are GREAT.)<strong>

**Oh, and if you're wondering on when I'm gonna update HC: Origins, here's the plan:**

**Once I intro in all these new Brotherhood characters the Haven storyline shall continue (WHAHAHA)**

**At which point in time I will hopefully be on winter break and I can fix up HC: Origins.**

**I'm gonna take down a few chapters and re-put them up as well as finish with the last four (4? yeah, 4.) characters. Don't worry, it's mostly just Cloak's chapter I gotta do some work on. The idea wasn't fully fleshed out when I wrote it and I want to fix that. And there were a few typos in Portia's chap I must fix.**

**Stick around! Should be intro-ing an empath and a somewhat necromancer next time, but we'll see :D**


	35. Chapter 34: Speedy Recruiting

**Disclaimer: The X-Men and Brotherhood aren't mine, they're Marvels. First OC was submitted by HMaster, and the second by AvengedVeralin. Thanks guys.**

**Author's note: **Sick 'n' tired.

I've entered the toughest year of my academic career, which is why I am updating so slowly. Sorry, working the best I can. I could literally vent for 3,000 words on school, but what you really want to see is the story! And I'm glad you do!

I also find it funny how there's a jump in views on the story every Friday. It's like clockwork. So without further ado:

**Enjoy. Read. REVIEW. (seriously how am I doing with the storyline? Do you want me to get more to the point?)**

* * *

><p><em>Well this is just startin' to get fun!<em>

It was the dead of night, the darkness mixing with the shadows to hide the figure that was inching alongside the brick wall of an alleyway. The figure was tall and lanky, and obviously mal-nourished. Even with him blending in with the shadows his chest seemed abnormally small. A dog barked somewhere off in the distance, and a sound reached his ears he was hoping would not come. The scream of a siren pierced the still air.

Swearing softly, the figure ran to the end of the alley and poked his head out. He was still too far from sanctuary for him to relax, and his movements were a bit jittery. Now he was regretting not getting someone to do the work for him.

_The last thing I need is to get snatched._

He took a deep breath and sprinted across the street to the safety of the darkness of another alley. He knew the area like the back of his hand, and in a few more dashes he would be safely out of reach. And it was too much of a risk to use his powers to give him a boost. The last thing he needed was him in an uncontrolled rage.

The figure continued on, now striding confidently in a way that was typical for him. Hopefully it would also make him seem less suspicious, though the screaming of the far off siren pricked at his heart.

_You can only be a cocky smart-ass for so long._

Subconsciously his hand snuck into his pocket and he fingered the small object he had… liberated. It was a rather plush looking ring that he was hoping he could get a high price for. Anything to have him be set for a while; he was sick and tired of the empty pangs of his stomach.

He came to the end of another alleyway and he cringed as a streetlight shined down on him, illuminating his features. Even in the pale wash of the light his skin was a rich caramel color, immensely short brown hair that spiked forward in the front, his face was handsomely angular, with high cheekbones reminiscent of aristocrats, and flat intense dark eyebrows set over green eyes that glinted in the light. His build was even more obvious now, although he possessed muscles in his upper arms and thinly across his chest the rest of him was swallowed by the clothing on his back. His clothes also did not fit with the surroundings he was in, a collared light blue shirt and pants that roughly fit him (being held tightly to his waist by a simple belt). His face was scrubbed clean of dirt or grim, but his hands showed exactly the work he had to do to survive.

He'd been doing this for too long.

A sudden ache in his stomach caused him to buckle over in the street. His head swam for a few seconds before his vision straightened itself out. He knelt shaking for several long seconds before he stood up. Throwing his shoulders back he continued in his stride forward, keeping his ears on the wailing sirens. He swore aloud as he realized they were much closer than they had been. His head was swimming too much from a lack of food to properly place where they were though.

Quickening his pace he turned a corner and froze. A police car was stopped, blocking most of the street, its lights flashing, nearly blinding him with the quick flashes of red and blue. A cop stepped out of the vehicle and drew his gun. The streetlight overhead flickered, illuminating the man's features for a moment, and then leaving them in a darkness pierced by the monochromatic lights. The cop was young underneath his cap, but his eyes were steady as he pointed the barrel of the gun at the teen in front of him.

"Freeze." The cop shouted, his voice hard. "Hands up." When the caramel skinned figure didn't respond he tightened the grip on his gun. "Hey, I'm talking to you. Show 'em!"

The teen nodded slowly and raised his hands.

"Turn out your pockets."

He complied, the flashy ring catching the light and glinting in the night air. He resisted grimacing and instead grinned cockily.

"Aw come on now, I'm just out for a nightly stroll."

The cop did not lower his gun, and frowned. "There was a robbery reported just a few minutes ago, know anything about that?"

The teen keep his smile on. "I wish I did, offi_cer_."

The man narrowed his eyes. "I'll need you to come with me."

If he went, there was no way he was getting out of it this time. His eyes darted back and forth, calculating his chances of getting away smoothly. With a quick use of his powers…

The teen took a deep breath and felt his anger swell in his chest. As he allowed it to grow a red glow surrounded his limbs and his grin grew into a snarl.

The cop's eyes widened and his hands shook, and his finger squeezed against the trigger. The bullet soared straight toward the teen's chest.

The teen realized he made a mistake. Time seemed to slow around him as he watched the bullet approach.

But it never hit.

He opened his eyes after several long seconds to see the bullet hovering in midair inches from his torso. Both he and the cop were equally confused.

"How the hell—"

The cop car suddenly lurched backward at the cop. It flipped once before screeching across the pavement, pinning the man against the brick wall of the building beside the street. The cop yelled out but his head also hit the wall hard, and he slumped forward.

The glow around the teen faded and he glanced around in wonder. It definitely had not been him that caused the car to basically attack its owner. He looked behind him and saw an armored figure approaching.

"Alejandro Solas? I believe we have much to discuss." Magneto's deep voice hung in the air.

* * *

><p>Fog clutched the ground and snaked its way through the cemetery. Some small headstones were completely swallowed by the gray, while others were just blocks or points above the thick cloud.<p>

The cemetery sloped gently up into a small green hill, at the top of which sat twin headstones, and a third smaller headstone topped with the stone figure of a St. Bernard.

A small girl sat leaning against one of the twin headstones, her chin dipping down onto her chest. She appeared to be young, her body appearing to be in the early stages of adolescence, short silver layered hair drooped down into her face, hiding her pale complexion and frail bone structure, her eyelids were dark against her skin, and her shoulders were hunched forward. She wore a worn, long brown trench coat that nearly swallowed her small stature. Her arms were wrapped over a dog whose head rested in her lap. But there was something different about this dog; he looked to be a St. Bernard, but the dog had a supernatural look to him. At times he appeared fully solid and fluffy, but then the light would shift and he became translucent, becoming only a skeletal version of the canine.

A twig snapped and the dog's head shot straight up, his ears perking above his head, and his lip curling into a growl. With a start, the girl stirred as well, gazing sleepily around her.

"What is it Norman?" The girl muttered quietly, her voice young and soft.

The dog, Norman, stood and took a defensive position over the girl, his hackles bristling along his spine and tail straight up in the air.

The girl turned her blue eyes to peer into the fog on her right, but the low cloud obscured nearly everything she could see. Then a figure started to take form through the fog, and the girl sat up a little straighter against the tombstone. If she needed to, she would be ready to fight or take flight.

The figure became more defined, it was a man with silver-gray hair in a dark gray suit. His footsteps were soft in the grass, the dew present helped to muffle the sound.

She frowned. "Who are you? What do you want?"

The man tilted his head and smiled. "My name is Erik, but most call me Magneto. I am a friend; I am here to help."

The girl laid a hand on Norman and the dog relaxed, backing off a little and allowing her to stand. At her full height she must have been only four foot ten inches tall, and the fact her bone structure was thin only made her look smaller.

"Help me what?" She asked suspiciously.

Magneto replied. "You ran from a place you felt you did not belong, correct? You know that you're different somehow from everyone else you've ever met. You can do things others cannot."

She narrowed her eyes, all of it was true, but she had no clue how he knew these things.

"Yes. I ran from child care, I _know_ I'm different, and I can do… things."

He nodded. "Your dog is just one example, is he not?"

The girl glanced at the huge St. Bernard beside her, his appearance having shifted again to its translucent skeletal form. He looked at her with empty eye sockets and his jaw opened slightly. She knew if he was more visible he would be almost smiling, having his tongue loll out the side of his mouth.

"Norman is dead. But he stays with me." She stated simply, turning back to the man. "How can you help _me_?"

"By offering you, the fallen girl, a place in my Brotherhood."

* * *

><p>Jean and Scott sat at a small table in a coffee shop. Scott kept looking around nervously, twitching basically every time the door opened and the bell above the door <em>dinged<em>.

Jean placed her hand over his and his head snapped around to look at her. "Stop." She said sweetly. "You're acting so weird."

Scott sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, well it's obvious right now we have more enemies than friends." He glanced around again (earning an eye roll from Jean), and lowered his voice. "And did you see the anti-mutant propaganda outside?!"

She nodded solemnly. The two were on their way back from the Thanksgiving holiday, having spent the weekend and a few extra days out with the family, and the professor had sent them to the city of Rapid City, South Dakota. They had truly just arrived, and they were casually checking out the town before trying to locate a girl named Samantha Quincy, who was in an old Cerebro file from a time during the mutant exposure event.

"It's hard to believe we're so hated here." She said. "Even after all we've done."

Scott nodded. He took a sip of his coffee and looked around. Jean hit his arm with the back of her hand.

"Hey!" He shouted, but when people turned their eyes to him he quieted down. "What was that for?"

"For looking around. Seriously Scott, you're making me nervous just sitting next to you, and you're not exactly being 'low key' either."

"Sorry." He muttered. "I just don't like the feeling that someone's standing behind my back with a knife."

"Oh don't be so dramatic."

He shrugged and drank some more of his coffee. "So how about we start asking some questions? The high school is probably a good place to start."

"I've got an even better idea." Jean said, practically smirking. "I did some research before we got her on Samantha Quincy…" She paused as she pulled a laptop out of her bag, bringing up a webpage. "…apparently she has top honors at school, and she runs a community center not far from here."

Scott raised his eyebrows. "When did you do this?"

Jean winked at him as she put her things away and stood up. "Now that's just something I need to know."

* * *

><p>The pair made the brisk walk down to the community center and entered through the double doors at the front. The inside was much warmer than the chilly outside (it was the first days of December and South Dakota is not a "warm" place that time of year), so they spent the first few seconds inside trying to get feeling back into their hands.<p>

"Wow…" Jean whispered as she looked around. "It's amazing a high school kid did this."

"Yeah, can you believe a high school student did this?"

Jean frowned and looked at Scott. He seemed too absorbed in examining the place to have properly heard her. "Uh Scott? I just said that."

"Oh, uh, you did?" Scott snapped out of his zoning. "Sorry Jean, just wow."

She nodded. "…So where should we start?"

Scott glanced around again, his eyes falling on the basketball court where several high school aged kids were playing basketball. He pointed. "How about there?"

The two approached the bleachers and waited for a lull in the game before interrupting. Scott and Jean went up to a girl with straight brown hair tied back who was getting a drink from a water bottle by the bleachers.

"Excuse me, do you know a girl named Samantha Quincy?" Scott asked.

The girl looked at him questioningly, almost like she was trying to figure out if he was serious or not. "Of course. Why?"

"Is she here?"

A teenage boy walked up to the small group, his dark skin damp with sweat from playing. "What's going on?"

The girl looked up at him. "These two want to know about Sam."

He frowned. "What do you want to know?"

Before Scott or Jean could reply the other girl answered for them. "Wanted to know if she was here."

The teen shook his head. "Nah, Sam hasn't been around for the last few days… but now that you mention it, that's rather odd. She's here basically every day."

"How many days hasn't she been here?" Jean asked, trying to not sound worried. Magneto may have already gotten to her.

"Oh, like four I guess…" The boy answered.

The two X-Men exchanged glances.

"Do you know where she lives?"

* * *

><p>A man with short brown hair and glasses sat inside his house, searching through the newspaper. With one hand he clutched the paper, and with the other he clutched his hair.<p>

_Gone. She can't be gone._

He bounced his leg nervously and tried to block out his thoughts. Suddenly there was a knock at the front door. He got up grimly and forced himself to walk over and open it.

He peered out and saw two young adults, one with brown hair, one with red, standing just outside his door.

"H-hello? Can I help you?"

The two exchanged glances.

"Actually," The one with brown hair said, "we may be able to help each other. Can we come in Mr. Quincy?"

The man paled at the mention of his name and nodded dumbly, opening the door wider for them to enter. He stepped aside as they came in and gestured to the family room, which contained an armchair, a couch, and a television set.

"C-c-can I get you anything to drink? I have a feeling this might take a while."

"No thanks, we're fine." Jean answered, sitting down on the couch. "Is your daughter here?"

The man shook his head, worry spreading across it. "She disappeared." As soon as he said this he groaned. "They _always_ disappear in this city. She shouldn't have lived with me here, she should have gone back to California with her mother. Oh why did I let her stay?!" He cried.

"Woah, sir, calm down. We think she's probably alright." Scott said quickly. "I'm Scott Summers, and this is Jean Grey. We're from the Xavier Institute for Gifted and Talented Youngsters. Is there anything you can tell us about the day she left?"

The man sat down shakily in the armchair and pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket. "She left a note, but… she couldn't have… the city just isn't safe for people like her at night."

He handed the paper to Scott and continued. "As a mutant we knew it was dangerous for her to keep living here, but she was insistant. She wanted to make a difference, make people see things her way. She's so **stubborn**! She started up that community center all on her own and…"

Scott nudged Jean and put the note in between them as the father continued to ramble. The two read it quickly.

_Dear Father,_

_I'm sorry I'm doing this to you. But I'm leaving. I have the opportunity to make a difference for mutant kind in a way I couldn't even dream to here. Don't look for me, don't try to stop me. I was offered a place in the Brotherhood of Mutants, a society in Bayville, New York, by a man named Magneto. Joining their ranks will strengthen their cause and our overall cause for mutant freedom._

_I love you Dad. There's nothing that can change that. Nothing changed when you and Mom divorced, and me moving in with the Brotherhood won't change that either. Please, share this with Mom. I'll send you updates when I can._

_Love You,_

_Sam_

Scott and Jean finished reading at the same time, and looked at each other. It was just as Benj and Clay warned.

Magneto was recruiting.

And they were horribly unprepared.

* * *

><p>Professor Xavier sat in his study watching the flames in the fireplace flicker back and forth. His hands were folded under his chin and his thoughts were elsewhere.<p>

He had sent out the adult X-Men to investigate several mutants that were in the Cerebro files that they had ruled as high Brotherhood possibilities. So far he had heard nothing back except bad news.

Beast had traveled to New York City to try and locate a fourteen year-old girl named Maria Reverend who was supposed to be in social services. She had run away nearly two months ago, and nothing had been heard of since. Beast did great detective work in regards to her, but when he tracked what he guessed were here last movements he came up short.

Storm went to the last location Cerebro picked up a mutant named Alejandro Solas used his powers and her news was nearly worse. There was an attack on a police officer there in the middle of the night, the officer's car had essentially flung itself against him. The cop was in serious condition. All evidence pointed to either Alejandro himself harming the cop, or that someone like Magneto interfered.

He still had not heard anything back from Logan in regards to the mutant named Quinn (which Cerebro was able to pick up on after the use of his powers up north), and he was beginning to worry.

The phone rang suddenly and he was pulled out of his thoughts. He pulled his phone out and answered.

"Scott?"

"Bad news professor."

The professor sighed. "Samantha Quincy?"

"Looks like she's joined the Brotherhood."

Xavier nodded solemnly. "Thank you Scott. You two can return when you want."

"What about the others that Storm, Beast, and Logan were looking at?"

"Maria is missing, Alejandro as well, but I fear he has joined the Brotherhood, and I have not heard back from Logan yet."

"…Anything more on—"

"Beast investigated the Cerebro reading of Tyler in New York City. From what we can tell he was there, but is not any longer. We have surveillance of him with his image inducer making deposits and withdrawals in several banks. We don't know why though." Xavier sighed. "And I'm sure Logan is looking for Leo still."

"Alright. Thanks for the update prof. We'll be back soon. Bye."

"Good-bye."

Xavier set the phone down slowly and placed a hand to his temple. Things were getting crazy around the X-Men, they would soon have to increase Danger Room sessions, and prepare for trouble from the Brotherhood.

His phone rang again and he frowned. Looking at the caller ID he saw it was Logan.

"Ah, Logan. Is a pick up needed for you and—"

"Sorry Chuck." The man's gruff voice came over the phone. He truly sounded regretful. "Mystique made a surprise appearance and Quinn went with her. I'd bet he's already in Bayville by now."

Xavier let out a slow breath. "Things are just getting worse with every phone call I get. Will you return soon then?"

There was a hesitation over the phone. "…No. I'm gunna see if I can track Leo again. I'm back in the States, but I'm starting fresh this time. I'm seein' what leads I can find on him, and investigating closer into Clay Dune while I'm at it. I figure if we can find her, we can find everyone else."

"Logan, our primary concern right now isn't—"

"Sorry, Chuck, but this one you can't stop me on. I'm tryin' to keep track of things, I'll keep you updated."

"Logan wait!"

_Click_.

Hopefully he would find something.

* * *

><p><strong>Only one more chapter of new inclusions before we get back on track. And as a little teaser, that means Logan, Sabretooth, and... Leo? WAH?! :D<strong>

**Also guess what? OCTOBER 22 IS THE ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THIS STORY. So on that date I'll update, or send out a message, or maybe figure out this "forum" thing and put out a Q&A or something. I don't know, I'll figure out a way to make it AWESOME.**


	36. Chapter 35: Speedy Training

**Disclaimer: The Brotherhood of Mutants belong to Marvel. OCs were given by some of my reviewers. (New ones are San child of the wolves and TheWritingGirl23)**

**Author's note: **Psh. Homework.

So yeah, no real update on the One Year Anniversary, but I think this was worth the wait. I didn't like this chapter for a little while, but it improved as I fixed it. Also, next chapter brings in A WHOLE BUNCH OF CHAOS! WHAHAHA! Logan, Sabretooth, (Leo?), Havens, Brotherhood, X-Men, 'New Mutants'

I'm so excited!

**Enjoy. Read. Write. Review.**

* * *

><p>The moon rose low in the night sky, its crescent casting silver light that washed over the buildings below. A girl sat perched on the edge of an apartment building's roof; her toes curling over the side of the brick, the balls of her feet firmly planted, her heels hovering a few inches above the brick, knees bent, and arms resting on top of them.<p>

Her appearance was difficult to tell in the half-darkness of the night, but the silver light of the moon illuminated some of her features. Long, thick, black hair hung down to her waist, ending in dark red and purple colored tips. Her skin was somewhat transparent, making her appear to be more of a shadow than a sold person, taking on a dark gray shade in the night. A black, skull-shaped mask covered her face, with curved white fangs sticking out underneath. Two dark purple triangles extended down her face under her eyes, which were dark purple on blood red with slitted pupils, and twin arched horns poked out from either side of her head. A black devil's tail flicked back and forth behind her.

_Such a strange town, this Bayville._ The girl thought to herself. She drummed her clawed fingers on her knee. She was feeling exceptionally restless. For too long she'd been surviving on her own with no purpose. It was fun at times, but with only her thoughts as company things got dull fast.

Raising a finger to her lips she tapped her finger in thought. Bayville was home to two mutant organizations, the Xavier Institute and the Brotherhood of Mutants. Xavier's was known for making peace with humans, but she wasn't sure what the Brotherhood was all about.

Painful memories of being teased for her mutation came back to her; scornful laughter, a flash of red, an angry roar… Humans were not high on her list for helping.

She smiled as a plan formed in her mind.

Maybe the Brotherhood was accepting sisters.

* * *

><p>Despite it being somewhat late, the Brotherhood Boarding House was full of activity.<p>

Magneto had left a few hours before for an errand he did not say anything about. The teens were taking the opportunity to see just who the new mutants were, and as time to settle into their new surroundings. Mystique was only defusing the situation when necessary. It wasn't truly her team anymore, so she could relax.

She was _enjoying_ the teenage drama.

The Blob sat in the armchair as usual, with the rest of the Brotherhood teens scattered around the den. Mystique leaned against the wall near the front door, remaining in the background so she could observe.

Samantha leaned partially on the television, which was flickering chaotically.

"Look at what you've done Blob. You messed the whole thing up." She said snidely, verbally poking him with a stick.

"Ey! I didn't do nothing!" Blob argued. "Toad was the one messing with the wires back there. All I was tryin' to do earlier was put 'em back!"

"A swell job you did." The blonde remarked, rolling her eyes. She pressed the power button on the screen and it went blank. "Is this all the Brotherhood does? Sit around and watch screens?" Her voice was strained, practically vibrating with energy. She was ready to get out there.

"Hey, we do a lot more than that." Lance interjected.

"Yeah, like get our butts kicked by the X-Men…" Pietro mumbled.

Samantha scoffed. "No wonder Magneto brought in some new talent."

Blob stood up. "Yeah? You think you can do better Tin Can?"

The blonde girl narrowed her eyes, her fists clenching at her sides. "I think I can."

"Let's see ya then!"

At his words her body tensed and turned to bronze. She nearly sprang forward when the mutant on the other side of the television reached across and touched her arm.

Alejandro, the caramel skinned new arrival, gave a stunning smile and cocked his head slightly. "Now come on babe, no need to get touchy."

Samantha glared steely at his handsome face for several silent seconds. The rest of the Brotherhood glanced at each other, a few holding in laughter until the situation resolved. Her hard face softened and she smiled sweetly at him.

"Maybe I was overreacting." She said softly.

The boy grinned even more, feeling like he had won again. The grin disappeared in a flash as Automaton grabbed his arm and flipped him, slamming him hard into the ground and sitting on top of his chest. The air in his lungs left in a _whoosh._ The room was quickly filled with laughter at his dismay. The female mutant stood up hastily and went back to leaning against the television, her skin returning to normal.

"Flirting is a dangerous game." Alejandro coughed out, rubbing his now bruised chest. He looked up at the glaring Samantha and wiggled his eyebrows. He was lucky not to get flipped again, instead the girl just grinned menacingly at him.

"Anxious for a fight, now are we Automaton?" Mystique spoke up, drawing all attention to her.

The girl looked at her and nodded. "I didn't sign up for the lodgings." She couldn't complain that the place wasn't nice, but unlike some of the others there she came for the ideals. And unlike any of the others she had a home that she left behind.

"You'll get your shot." The blue-skinned woman mused. "For now just get settled in. **Training** starts tomorrow."

The girl turned away and looked at her feet. She hoped Mystique knew what she was talking about.

Footsteps clanked down the stairs. The tall, thin figure of Quinn Leigh walked in, a screw driver in hand. His gray T-shirt hung loose from his body, he still wore the same torn jeans, like he was trying to cling to the past. He still knew too little of his life.

"Let me take a look at the TV." He grumbled. He hated trying to do anything around the other Brotherhood members, especially the experienced ones. He was older than all of them (at least from what he guessed) and had little in common with them due to the fact he wasn't even sure what he was into.

Toad raised an eyebrow from his spot on the couch. "How you gunna fix the TV if you don't—" He stopped midsentence as Wanda elbowed him.

Quinn frowned. His dark eyebrows scrunched down and he squeezed his eyes shut tight. Somehow it had felt like a natural thing to do, to see if he could fix it. His clenched jaw quivered. The screw driver fell to the ground with a soft _thump_, and the teen turned away and walked back upstairs.

"Way to go Toad." Wanda muttered.

"Hey wait, dude!" Toad hopped after the older teenager.

He caught him in the hallway, after leaping up the stairs eight at a time. He jumped up right behind Quinn and put a hand on his shoulder. Quinn turned back sharply, throwing the other boy's arm off of him.

"Yo, man I didn't mean—"

Quinn threw up his hands, and walked up to his door. "You didn't mean anything. Yeah, whatever. Didn't think I could fix it because I can't 'member anything…" He murmured more to himself than anything. He opened the door to his room slowly. "…you don't know what it's like Todd, not being able to remember anything more than a few months ago. It's enough to drive a person mad."

Toad tried not to be startled. That was the largest amount of words he'd heard the older boy say since he arrived a few days ago. Plus the fact that no one bothered to call him Todd anymore. He followed hesitantly into Quinn's room, meaning to ask just what he meant. Both froze when they entered the room.

The room was simple like all of the rooms at the Boarding House, but it was clear Quinn had made some adjustments. The walls were painted a dark red, making the room increasingly dark. There was only a dresser, a bed, and a nightstand, all made with light colored wood, but the bed was shoved up against the left wall, having been disassembled. The mattress itself was on the opposite side of the room, next to it was the nightstand at the head where one pillow sat on the mattress. A pocket knife and what looked to be a block of wood sat on top of it.

But none of this was what made the pair halt. The window on the far wall was open, the cold night air filled the room with its bite. In front of them, just in front of the window, stood a girl whose skin was transparent enough to give her a ghostly appearance. She turned as they entered, and Toad let out an involuntary shriek. Devil's horned poked out of her skull, and what looked like a black, skull shaped mask covered her face with dark purple triangles stretching down from her eyes.

"Eeek!" Toad jumped, starting to step backwards.

Quinn tensed, his hand reaching up to the arrowhead around his neck almost against his will. The black sheen spread across his skin and he surged forward at the intruder. It was his space. It was his to protect.

The girl reacted coolly to Quinn's stumbling start, raising one hand and making a gun with her finger pointed out. She aimed calmly at his neck in the span of a few seconds. She pulled her thumb down and a pink, bullet-shaped beam of energy shot out of her pointer finger. It streaked through the air and struck just where she aimed. He grunted, staggering backwards a few steps. A pink glow grew on his neck, and after a few seconds it took the shape of a deer.

"What the hell?" He asked confused. He had expected more pain, or blood, but he seemed physically unhurt. He looked up at the intruding girl. "You'll have to try better." He growled. He made as to move forward again, but then something stopped him.

Toad watched in complete confusion as the older boy suddenly took a few steps back and looked around him, his gray eyes opened wide in confusion. His head moved quickly back and forth, and he continued to back up until he was against the wall.

The other teen took another look at Quinn, and then at the other girl. He wasn't looking forward to sharing his fate.

* * *

><p>"Eeek!"<p>

Mystique turned her head at the sound of Toad's scream. With a sigh she grumbled. "What has that boy done now?"

The group in the room grew silent as they strained to hear what was going on. They heard Quinn's exclamation, and then a few seconds later another shriek from Toad.

"SHE'S TRYIN' TA KILL ME!" Toad yelled, and his body tumbled hard down the stairs. He landed spread-eagle at the bottom, and then he scrambled upright and hopped into the main room. "RUUUUUN!" He screamed as he leaped behind the couch.

Mystique raised an eyebrow. "_Who_ is trying to 'kill' you?" She asked skeptically.

"That could be me." A voice called from the top of the stairs. The girl walked calmly down, and faced the Brotherhood.

"Hi, I'm Aislinn Shane. I hope you guys are taking recruits."

* * *

><p>The training had commenced.<p>

Magneto had returned the next morning with an additional recruit, a small fourteen-year-old African American girl. The second he came back the Brotherhood were ordered to suit up and go outside to the yard behind the boarding house.

When they all got outside they saw that the yard was divided up. Basic hay targets, some taking the shape of people, were lined up about fifteen yards from the building. On the other side of the yard was a large circle of rocks set into the ground.

The recruits and old team members lined up in between the two sections, the old inspecting the new's clothing.

Samantha Quincy, Automaton, was wearing a sleeveless dark red uniform with a light yellow triangle with its base at her shoulders and its point at her waist. A thin black belt with a couple pouches for random items was wrapped around her waist. She wore light yellow cuffs at her ankles and only leather sandals covering her feet.

Quinn Leigh, Obsidian, wore a uniform with a light gray sleeveless top, black cargo pants, and bracelets of metal chain around his wrists. The obsidian arrowhead still hung around his neck, and besides his sleeveless shirt he wore the leather jacket that belonged to Wolverine with its sleeves rolled up past his elbows.

Alejandro Solas, Aura, had a uniform that was green with dark green sleeves, a thick black belt, armored black gloves, and black boots that fit his feet perfectly. The idea of well-fitting clothes was still somewhat novel to him. He wore a pair of reflective glasses as well, because that was simply the type of person he was.

Maria Reverend, Fallen, still wore her long brown trench coat, and underneath that she were a rough black shirt with pockets on the front, and black jeans. Her silver colored hair glimmered in the sunlight, a flower clip in her hair, parting some of her bangs to the side, and she seemed to shrink away from the sun. Her trusty undead dog Norman stood beside her, his nose quivering in the air.

The intruder of the day before, Aislinn Shane, had taken the name of Gunner. She wore a tight black suit with dark purple and blood red colored lines that outlined her shape. Black fingerless gloves were on her hands, leaving her claws (oddly purple and red) exposed. She wore clunky combat boots on her feet. As she stood slightly apart from the others she brushed her tail across the ground, its short black hair ruffling slightly in the breeze, and the two rings strung on the tail (one purple, and one red) slid down to the very point of her tail as it swung slowly. She narrowed her dark, colorful eyes at the others, trying to see what her new "teammates" were made of.

Magneto walked up to the line of recruits dressed in his full armor. Immediately all of the Brotherhood tensed and assumed a sort of hesitant attention. Following just behind him was the new girl he had brought in that morning.

"Brotherhood, I would like you to meet Elsa Nadeen, also known as Wildcard." He said simply, gesturing at the girl at his side.

She was not very tall, but she was built compact and muscular like a gymnast; like a coiled spring waiting to strike. Her skin was very dark, her eyes mimicking the tint though slightly lighter with a critical light within the orbs. She was a pretty girl for her age, but her nose was rather flat against her face, and though her lips were full they didn't quite fit the proportions of her face structure. Her dark brown hair was whisked across her head in a messy gelled up disarray. The battle gear she wore was mostly blue and light gray. The inner layer of her shirt was royal blue, and layered on top was a gray vest with peaked shoulder pads and a short folded down collar. The lower part of her outfit was royal blue as well, with light gray stripes on the outside of her legs. Gray boots went nearly to her knees, where there were similarly colored knee pads. She wore light gray gloves her hands, and around her neck was a bright orange bandana. The harsh clash of the color brought to her a sense of wildness.

"Wildcard will be with us during the days as a trainee, though she has… other… 'business' to see to at night." The man continued. The Brotherhood exchanged glances. That was a very different way than the Brotherhood typically operated. Recruits normally stayed at the boarding house, but they all knew better than to question Magneto.

"Your training today will be split into two." Mystique spoke loudly, walking up behind the team. A few flinched at her voice, but they quickly went back to standing still as she rebuked them. She walked around to join Magneto in front. With a wave of her hand she motioned for the new girl to join the others. "We will take a look at both ranged and close-range melee attacks. I expect you elder Brotherhood members to be able to show an example of how we do things."

Magneto nodded solemnly. "Mystique will cover combat, and I will see what we have to deal with as far as range options. Quicksilver, Toad, the Blob, Fallen, and Gunner are with me."

"That leaves Avalanche, Scarlet Witch, Obsidian, Automaton, Aura, and Wildcard with me." Mystique mused, skeptically looking over some of her team. She would have to try to pair up the weaker teens with someone that would teach them quickly. Alejandro was nothing more than a pretty boy at the moment, Quinn was uncontrollable, Samantha was too eager, and she had no idea how Wildcard would be. Lance wasn't strong at close combat either, but Wanda could handle herself well enough.

As the team divided up Magneto looked to Maria Reverend, Fallen, "You may want to use your wings for this." He said.

The silver-haired girl nodded at him, shrugging her trench coat off. From her shoulders extended a pair of skeletal wings, the one on her left unfolded to nearly triple her height, yet the one on the right side of her only extended out to a foot beyond her body. The wings stretched out from her, and she sighed a little in relief. It was hard to have her wings so folded up during the day.

Blob noticed her wings first and made a comment. He extended a thick finger at her. "You fly with those?"

She smiled and shook her head. "I wish. They've mostly been a fashion accessory for me."

The large teen nodded. "Wouldn't get very far, wouldya?"

Pietro shook his head and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Well, what a spectacular observation _Blob_. There's no membrane on the wings, how the hell would she fly?"

"I was just askin'!"

"Enough." Magneto said plainly. The group silenced. He gestured to the hay targets. They had lined up near the wall of the boarding house, and the targets were about fifteen yards away. A pile of miscellaneous metal objects and rocks sat to the right side of the mutants' line. "Your goal is simple. Annihilate the targets." He made his point by causing one of the metal shards to rise up and fly at a blinding speed at a target on the far right. The hay target was in the shape of a man, and the shard shredded through its vegetative heart.

Blob smirked. "I got this." He hefted the largest rock in the pile, being about the width of this chest, with a grunt and spun once in a circle before launching it into the air. The rock sailed through the air and crushed one of the targets. The ground shook, causing a few of the newest recruits to stumble back.

"Good." Magneto mused.

"That's nothing. Watch this." Quicksilver said arrogantly. He sped away to the pile and threw ten projectiles at the targets in the span of a second. He didn't throw with much accuracy, but with the amount he threw he had better chances of hitting something. Two hit a human-shaped target dead on, tearing its "shoulder" and knocking in its "knee". Without proper support the target fell. The others missed completely, landing too short, or just too far. Pietro tried to cover the unsatisfied frown that inched across his face with an arrogant air.

"Accuracy Pietro." Magneto droned. Quicksilver frowned and crossed his arms, walking to the back of the group.

Toad hopped up to where Magneto stood, what they were considering the line to start from.

"A'ight. Guess it's my turn." Toad narrowed his eyes and spit a couple slimeballs at the targets. Most struck home, but did little more than coat the hay in nastiness.

"Gross!" Fallen exclaimed. She glanced around at the others who were acting like it was perfectly fine. She shuddered inwardly. She'd hate to be on the receiving end of one of Toad's slimeballs.

"Hmm…" Magneto mused. "We will have to use that better. The mucus will not do any real physical harm, but I believe it has proved to be a good distraction in the past."

"Yes sir!" Toad chirped, standing up as straight as he could. The boy turned back to see the two new recruits. He bowed and walked backwards almost comically. "Next are the lovely ladies."

Gunner rolled her eyes at the comment, but Fallen giggled and skipped forward. "Thank you kind sir." She said airily. Fallen turned to Magneto. "How should I—"

"However you like, provided you stand here." Magneto responded.

The girl nodded hesitantly. She looked out of the corner of her eye to where Norman sat, waiting loyally. The targets were out of range for her to strike with her wings, but she could command Norman to tear the targets apart while remaining where she was.

"Sik 'em Norman!" She called out. Blob and Pietro laughed, but Fallen ignored their humor, and pointed at the targets.

The St. Bernard leapt up excitedly and growled. He bounded speedily at the targets and pounced on the Toad-slimed target. He set his teeth and claws into it with ease, and soon he was tearing at another, a blizzard of hay falling around him.

"Good boy!" Fallen yelled out as the dog finished destroying the second target. He ran up to her with glee and wagged his tail. She scratched behind his skeletal ears and praised him some more.

"Creative." Magneto said simply. He looked to Gunner. "You're next, and then we will all find ways to improve."

Gunner walked up slowly. Her powers were perfect for the exercise.

She extended her hand with her hand in the symbol for "gun". Closing one eye, as was the way she liked to shoot if she was showing off, she lowered her thumb. A red energy bullet shot out of her pointer finger. The bullet pierced the target she was aiming at, and in the force it hit it tore a hole straight through.

"Impressive. Now let's do this again."

* * *

><p>"Avalanche, Aura! UP!" Mystique yelled.<p>

The two boys entered the circle of rocks set in the ground. The grass had been cleared away as just dirt in the center. Avalanche lined up directly across from the new boy, Alejandro, and took a fighting stance. He had no idea what powers the mutant really had, although bragging had already proven to be part of the teen's nature he had said little about what he could do.

Alejandro smirked. He'd been in enough street fights to hold his own.

Or so he thought.

"Go."

Lance immediately extended his hands, his eyes rolling to the back of his head. The ground in front of him waved and buckled, knocking Alejandro off his feet.

The pretty boy smacked his nose into the ground and blood flowed freely. He struggled to get up as the ground bucked beneath him like a bull. "Come on man!" He grumbled, spitting blood from his mouth. Just when he thought he had regained his footing while still kneeling he looked up to see Avalanche right next to him. Alejandro swore as Avalanche kicked his gut and flipped him over his head, slamming him into the ground. As stars started to clear he realized the ground was shaking again, only this time it was cracking beneath him. The mutant scrambled upright as quickly as he could and jumped away from the growing fissure.

_Come on man! THINK!_

The boy wiped some blood from his face on his sleeve and he forced himself to focus inwardly for a few seconds. His anger level rose and a red glow surrounded his body. Things became clearer, more focused, and he jumped from wave of land to wave of land, getting closer to his adversary.

Avalanche saw this and opened another crevice in the ground, right where the other mutant was about to land. Aura was too distracted with quickly approaching Lance to notice until his foot had fallen too far down. He cried out in shock as he fell farther, and then the ground seemed to close up around him.

"Alright. Stop." Mystique ordered. Avalanche smirked, opening the ground around Aura to allow him to stand. "You've improved considerably Avalanche… or maybe Aura is just too inexperience. Time will tell."

Lance offered his hand to Alejandro and the boy took it. The pair stood and Alejandro allowed his aura to fade. He held his sleeve to his face and winked at Lance. "Thanks for the face paint, bud."

Alvers just stared bewildered at the caramel-skinned boy as he walked away.

"Next… let's see Wanda and Wildcard."

The Scarlet Witch strode into the circle confidently and stared down her opponent. Wildcard returned the look, and removed a glove, shoving it in a pocket in her belt.

"Go."

Wanda calmly waved her hand and her powers enveloped several of the rocks that made up the circle. With a simple flick of her wrist she sent them flying at Wildcard. The younger girl resisted the urge to shriek and hit the ground hard.

"Wanda, Elsa, no powers here."

The girls stared at Mystique dumbly, before turning back to the fight. Apparently Mystique wanted to keep them in one piece.

Wildcard slipped back on her glove and got up, charging at the older girl. The witch sidestepped easily, sticking her foot out as she went. The younger mutant tripped, and tumbled out of the circle.

Mystique sighed. "Automaton, Obsidian, your turn. Wildcard, we'll try this again."

The pair switched out.

Automaton straightened her glasses and flexed her hands, taking a stance similar to how she would start out on the basketball court. She had already been through one training session with Mystique, her bruises still plenty evident, and she felt fairly prepared against Quinn. The thin boy rolled his sleeves up a little farther and grabbed the stone at his neck. Seeing that her opponent was "suiting up" all the way, Automaton followed suit, her skin becoming solid bronze.

"Go."

The girl sprang forward like a snake at the taller boy, he just barely rolling out of the way. Sam recovered quickly from her miss and swung a fist at him, which he dodged. In the same movement he clutched her arm and jabbed under her armpit. She bit back a scream and leaned into her pain, clumsily tackling the rocky mutant.

They landed in a tangle, and Obsidian kicked the girl off of him. Spinning around his slammed his fist down, but she rolled before it hit her chest. She sprang up quickly, and he mirrored her. She punched him in the gut and then kicked him backwards. He buckled a little, his response time slow. She started at him again, and since he was still trying to catch his breath Obsidian could only weakly bring up his arms.

Metal struck rock. A ring filled the air, and Automaton stared shocked at Obsidian. Quinn opened his gray eyes to see why she had paused, and was startled to see his arms encased in a layer of obsidian shards. As he saw them they melted back into his skin.

"Since when could you do that?" Sam asked, her voice hard and metallic.

"Dunno…" He muttered. He shook his head clear and locked eyes with her, his eyes turning silver as the sun struck them. "Game on."

He swung his fist wide, aiming to knock his forearm into her head, and hit true as she was still distracted by the bizarre event that just occurred. She grunted as she fell forward and face-planted.

"Stop, stop!" Mystique roared. "Automaton, _what was that?!_"

Sam stood and brushed herself off, rubbing the dent in her head. "I was surprised."

"You can't be surprised during a battle. You have to roll with whatever insanity happens. Otherwise you will fall victim." Mystique corrected. She turned to the others in the group.

"Again."

* * *

><p><strong>And there it was. One year.<strong>

I know I said I might have a chapter update on that date of October 23, but sadly I had rather restricted access to a computer that day so alas.

Thank you so much, to EVERYONE who's read, reviewed, favorited, and supported me and this story. Please stick with me as I finish it.

Until next time.

~Keep writing strong.


	37. Chapter 36: Keeping Track

**Disclaimer: The X-Men are not mine, they are Marvel's. You probably know by now which OC goes where ;D**

**Author's note:** Aaaaaaand!

Okay, so I've been TRYING to do National Novel Writing Month (NaNo WriteMo)... buuuut I've been having awful writer's block and only have about 6,000 words done. Out of 50,000. That's... like 3%. And the month's halfway over. Eh. (You know how long it took me to get 50k word on D-Factor? Several MONTHS. Sigh... time to recruit my pal.)

Alright. Strap in. You'll like this one.

And the next chapter (or several) will be flashes back to the Haven mutants. You get to _catch up_ with them from over the past month (story-time).

**Enjoy. Read. Review.**

* * *

><p>Shadows and sunlight mingled in a collage on the forest floor. The air was crisp and fresh, the sounds of a far off stream drifted through the air, interrupted only by the rustling of leaves by the breeze. Trees with long, thick, trunks stretched up out of the ground alongside narrow-trunked trees with a wide display of leaves. The faded greens and browns of the forest melted together to create a single landscape.<p>

With sudden rapidness a shadow jumped from a tree to the ground before sprinting in between the shadows of the leaves and climbing up another tree. The form continued on its way, scouting what they could see.

He stopped suddenly as the wind shifted and a new scent blew his way. The shadows covered most of his face and body, but his visible muscles tensed with anticipation.

The beast let out a sound halfway between words and growl. "Now _that_ is a scent I haven't caught in a long while." He breathed deeply and smiled.

He whirled toward the source and pounced toward it.

The games had begun.

* * *

><p><em>Danger Room<em>

"Hans! Heads up!"

Julian whirled around and bent her knees low to duck. A large flexible mechanical arm zoomed overhead and slammed into the wall behind her. She rolled out of her crouch hurriedly, changing her location so the arm could not smash down on her.

For it only being her third DR session she was doing pretty well. Because of her age and experience level, she trained with the younger mutants at the Institute. She was older than most of them, but was a sophomore like all but Jamie.

Bobby was given the option of returning to the main X-Men team or remaining as leader of the New Mutants.

He stayed.

It was a hard choice for him, but it was one he was glad to make. Plus no one really wanted to rise up to take the slot left empty by Leo. Not now at least.

Julian admired his experience and knowledge of his team, but like she found in any boy he made stupid, reckless decisions. And they all received bruises when he did.

"Thanks Bobby!" Julian called as soon as she was clear of the arm.

"Iceman!" He yelled, correcting her. He shook his head, she was awful at using codenames. Sometimes she would get them completely wrong, use one of Logan's nicknames instead (which to Bobby was not allowed, she had not been there long enough), or outright forgot them. Other than that minor defect, which of course Iceman was working on, the girl was proving her worth as a teammate. There was a lot of exploring with her powers she still had to do but she was determined to pick up the slack.

The Danger Room obstacle course was in full swing, mechanical arms, walls, razor blades, lasers, and spikes were popping out all over the place. Iceman surveyed the room quickly. It was a mere survival training exercise, so the objective was to reduce injuries. He knew Beast was at the controls so the amount of pain they would endure was much less than if it was Logan.

Too bad it wasn't Storm, though.

The team had broken up into smaller groups, but Julian had managed to get separated from anyone else and was dodging hazards trying to return to her former group of Berserker, Tabitha, and Multiple. Iceman looked at his group. Magma, Cannonball, and Sunspot seemed to be doing fine on their own.

"Hey, I'm gonna go help the newbie. Stay alive 'til I get back!" Bobby yelled over the battle noise. He didn't wait for a reply as he made an ice slide to get him over to Julian.

A vine whipped by his ear and a laser cannon that jutted out of the wall exploded. He saw the pale girl grimace as she pulled the vine back to her.

Her uniform was designed to work with her mutation. He skin had to be exposed to allows plants to grow from her skin (so far she was restricted to a variety of vies and the ever purposeless flowers). The uniform was sleeveless in a way, the black cloth wrapped up and around her collar bone but left her shoulders bare. She didn't sport the classic 'X' shoulder pads the other New Mutants did, but she wore the same style gloves and boots as them, as well as the clunky belt, only hers were a very light shade of green. Her braided hair snapped around as she spun to dodge another mechanical arm.

Bobby got in closer and froze the arm solid. Julian glanced up at him before extending her arms out. In response the four vines she normally had extending from her back for combat whipped through the air and struck the mechanical arm. The frozen mechanics buckled and shattered under the force.

Iceman glided down next to her, meaning to compliment her, but a series of laser blasts stopped him. He shot a beam of ice at the cannon and it stopped.

"What's the deal with you and codenames?" Julian asked as the two joined in their obstacle aerobatics together.

"We're supposed to use 'em in battle!"

Julian swerved her body to the side as a spike sprung up from the floor. "What? People can't know our names?"

"It's just best if we didn't yell out our identities all the time." He responded while at the same time making an ice bat and slamming it into a razor blade that spun out of the wall. His explanation didn't make a ton of sense after he said it. The papers had plastered their identities all over the place. He shrugged off his stupidity. Julian could take his word or not.

"You just called me Hans! Isn't that even worse than me saying 'Bobby'!? It's my last name!" She shouted as they both ducked under a spike.

"Well that's cuz Professor X hasn't given you a codename yet."

"Psh. What codename would **I** have?"

"I dunno. How 'bout Solo?" Iceman suggested as the pair vaulted over a wall.

"Solo?"

"Yeah, like 'Han Solo'. Your codename doesn't always have to do with your powers."

"My name is _Hans_ not _Han_." She snorted.

"Hey, it's just a suggestion!"

Julian froze and glared suspiciously at him.

"Whaa?"

She shook her head, meaning to ignore his comment, when she suddenly grimaced. She let out a surprised cry and fell forward. Iceman sprung forward to catch her as she fell. A seared and smoking section of her uniform was peeling away to reveal raw skin.

"End session." Beast's voice came over the intercom.

The students groaned as the obstacles retracted into the walls and floor.

"Alright, who got hit?" Berserker asked roughly as the team drifted toward the center.

"Julian." Bobby stated, still holding her up. The wound on her back didn't look quite as bad as it first did. Her eyes twitched rebelliously under her eyelids. They snapped open suddenly, her pupils dilating in surprise, a stark contrast to the pale blue in her irises. Seeing she was conscious Bobby helped her stand on her own.

"Well, good news!" Beast called out cheerfully as he entered the Danger Room. "You blew your last survival record out of the water!"

"Yeah, because Logan monitored the last one." Ray grumbled.

The students all shot him a look. They didn't want their success to be considered a fluke.

Plus they hadn't heard from the feral man in nearly a week, nor seen him in almost a month.

* * *

><p>A man stood overlooking a valley from the edge of a high drop-off. Trees grew high around him, their bare canopy still managing to block out most of the pale midday sun, frozen pine needles on the coniferous trees around him rustled like tiny wind chimes in the cold breeze. Frost was still gathered on the fallen leaves below, and where it had melted it left the leaves a mushy mess. The drop-off was of light tan soil with rocks sewn in. The man's feet were firmly planted just inches from the edge, as if he was not afraid of falling.<p>

The valley in front extended out for about a half a mile, before sloping back up into the hilly region beyond. Trees flanked the edges, but the valley itself was full of tall grass, now yellow and brown in hibernation for the winter.

The man breathed in the cool air, his blue-black hair fluttering in the breeze. He shrugged his broad shoulders and opened and closed his fists. He had no coat on, just a plain gray T-shirt and jeans, black leather gloves on his hands with armored slits for his signature claws. A navy blue helmet with a curved visor sat on the ground next to him.

Logan sighed, hunching his shoulders as the wind cut through him again.

It was nearly a month after the warehouse attack. He had gained no ground on finding Leo, or any of the Dysons for that matter. After Beast's brief lead on Tyler he had gotten some hope, but it returned to being as dismal as ever when that led nowhere. The quick adventure with Quinn dashed his hopes further.

It just seemed like people kept getting lost.

He was a failure; he couldn't keep track of Leo's scent after he first set out. He would have to return to the Institute to revive the scent. Even then, it had been almost a month. The trail was most likely cold.

He didn't like it, but he was giving up. It was time to lend his time back to the other students at the Institute. _They_ still needed him, Leo or no. He could not simply abandon them because part of the team was gone. They would need him more than ever, especially with the Brotherhood beginning to stir again.

Logan bent down to pick up his helmet when he froze. The breeze had shifted and a scent had floated his way.

Snarling he whirled around and extended his claws. A second later he was tackled by a massive form and they both went hurtling down into space off the ledge.

* * *

><p>"Ow!"<p>

"Miss Hans, hold still. I can't wrap your injury if you keep moving!" Beast warned sternly.

Julian sat on the edge of one of the beds in the infirmary, turned away from the door and Beast. She held her jet black hair in her hands and away from her back. As soon as Beast had seen her wound he insisted he take a look at it.

Not for the first time she wished she had a rapid healing factor.

The girl muttered something under her breath and Beast chuckled. He finished dressing her wound and held his hands up.

"There. All done. Much easier when you didn't squirm as much." He teased.

Julian shrugged on a black T-shirt over her jeans and turned to Beast. She gave the furry man a smile and a nod. Beast shook his head and chuckled as she left. With much luck she would be a regular in the infirmary.

As Julian exited she caught a glance of Bobby turning the corner.

"Hey! Bobby! Wait up!" She called.

He poked his head back around the corner and waited for her. "'Sup?"

"Not much." She replied, rounding the corner herself. With Bobby were Jamie, Tabitha, and Amara. The four were still decked out in their combat gear. "Going to change?"

"Yeah, then thought we could have a little game of mutant ball. You game?"

Julian nodded.

Tabitha laughed. "Well look who's fittin' in nicely. Already has the battle scars to prove it."

The group continued down the halls toward the dormitories. First was the boy's wing. As they were walking Jamie stopped suddenly and looked at a door on the right.

Bobby looked back and stopped as well. They all knew whose door it was.

"Come on…" The older teen urged half-heartedly.

Tabitha and Amara glanced at each other and then walked up behind the younger boy. Amara placed a careful hand on his shoulder.

"Has anyone… you know… been in there since?"

Tabitha turned to Julian who made the comment. She shook her head. "No one's really had the courage."

The newest mutant stepped up and put a hand on the doorknob.

"Well… someone has to…"

She opened the door.

* * *

><p>The two figures hit the ground hard. During their fall Logan managed to wiggle his way on top of the other so they would receive more of the blunt force when they crashed.<p>

Immediately when they landed Wolverine untangled himself from the other and took several steps back. He narrowed his eyes and waited for the other to get up.

"Well Logan, I guess this is where I say hello." The other laughed. Sabretooth stood slowly, making a show for his competitor. He bared his sharp teeth in an animalistic grin. "Ain't ya gonna say hello back?" He barked.

"Sabretooth…" Wolverine snarled. "Rck, what do you want?" He shifted his weight to the balls of his feet, ready to spring.

"Thought we might have a go, for old time's sake." The man replied.

"Didn't think yer master Magneto would be so fond of that." Logan retorted.

Sabretooth shrugged, raising one had up to eye level. "I think this will prove a most… excellent… exception…" His tone was eager, he was prodding the X-Man into a fight. He shook the fist he raised slightly.

Logan followed the man's gaze and saw what he held in his hand. It was a necklace.

A shark tooth necklace.

The teeth were bound by a length of leather cord; their ivory color reflected the pale sun. But the white was stained by a dark red. Splashes here and there on the necklace ruined its clean look. It was undoubtedly blood, and fresh too by the looks of it.

And there was only one person Logan knew wore something like that.

"That's right Logan. I had a little… _chat_… with a friend of ours." Sabretooth taunted, the smirk on his face sending a chill up Logan's spine. He opened his mouth to say more, but did not get the chance.

Logan let out a roar and sprang at his longtime opponent, claws outstretched. Both sets hit home, tearing holes in the leather chest plate Sabretooth wore, and sinking into his chest. The Adamantium-skeleton man put his full force into the attack and ended up sitting on top of the chest of the other man.

The force and surprise of the attack was enough to cause Sabretooth to be dazed. The hand he held the necklace in slapped against the ground and he lost his grip on it.

Logan leaned in close to the other man, withdrawing his right hand's claws. Blood dripped off the silver metal and onto the frosted ground below. He stuck the claws in the ground to clean them and then retracted them into his hand. With a fast movement he gripped Sabretooth's jaw in his hand.

"If you know what's good for ya, you'll **stay there**." He growled. He got no response. It didn't matter to him though, he scooped up the necklace out of the Acolyte's hand and stood. There was a squelching noise as his second set of claws left Sabretooth's chest.

Logan held the necklace close to his face and took a sniff. It was Leo's. And the blood was his as well.

He looked down at the dazed mutant, watching the dark red stain seep up from his chest (if only it was that easy to kill that man). If Sabretooth had… a 'chat' with Leo…

There was a good chance the teenager was hardly breathing.

Wolverine turned his attention to the area, taking another deep breath. Suddenly he had a firm grasp on Leo's scent. He stuffed the necklace in his pocket, and took off at a run.

He drew his cellphone out of his pocket as he scaled the drop-off with his claws.

"Chuck," He grunted as he hauled himself up over the top. "Get the Blackbird to my coordinates. I've got a lead on Leo."

* * *

><p>The mutants ducked their heads inside as Julian strode into the Dysons' former room.<p>

The two beds were still in the same arrangement: both against opposite walls, Leo's on the right with the nightstand at the head of the bed, and Benj's on the left with the nightstand at the foot. Their alarm clocks still had the lights on signaling that the alarms were still activated for the morning. Over the past few weeks the Institute students had been ignoring the beeps.

Julian flipped on the switch as she entered and the room was illuminated. It still looked as if the brothers were going to return at any moment. She glanced back at the others and flicked her head forward, gesturing for them to come in. They followed cautiously, like there were bombs planted in the floor as well.

The clothes hamper by the closet was full of the boys' clothing, a pair of jeans simply draped over top. Leo's classic red shirt and khaki shorts lay in a wad to the side of his bed.

Jamie ventured farther in, walking up to the desk against the far wall. He tilted his head in curiosity as he saw a wooden box set on top. He opened in slowly, peering inside. His eyebrows creased and he reached inside. Withdrawing his hand he took with him a shark tooth necklace that was painted royal blue.

"Guys… look at this." He said softly, throwing the lid back all the way and stepping slightly to the side. Inside the box was at least ten different shark tooth necklaces painted a variety of colors, and some plain. "Where did he get so _many_?"

Tabitha couldn't resist a small laugh. "Leo certainly knew how to accessorize."

Bobby nodded. His eyes were drawn to something else on the desk. He shuffled past the others and lifted some papers off the desk, revealing a sketch book. He flipped through it quickly at first and then went back to examine, walking over to Benj's bed and sitting down on the edge.

"Check this out."

The others gathered around him, looking over his shoulders at the sketches in his hand. As he flipped through it again they looked at the drawings. There was a sketch of all of the X-Men, as well as several Haven members, and a few mutants from the school meetings. In the later pages there were sketches of the new mutants where Leo had added details to their uniforms that individualized them.

Iceman's had light blue gloves, belt, and boots, with his black uniform having the same color blue zig-zag across the chest. Magma's gloves, belt, and boots were a fiery dark orange, and flame patterns were etched on her arms and legs. Multiple's black uniform was replaced with one that had a dark green sheen, with black gloves, boots, and a green belt, a lighter green chest on his chest encircled by a similarly colored circle. Tabitha's uniform was not changed much, but a few 'X's were added along her gloves' knuckles (Tabitha made a comment that Leo was "…just enjoying drawing" her figure).

They looked at a few of the other New Mutant's altered uniforms, and a slightly altered Nightcrawler look, until Bobby got bored and Amara picked up the sketch book.

"Wow, he really put a lot of time into these." Amara whispered in awe. The detail put into their forms and features were stunningly like real life.

Jamie was hugging his knees on the bed and leaning against the wall. He nodded in agreement, now gazing over Amara's shoulder at the pictures. He was still quite shaken.

Bobby opened his mouth to make an additional comment, but the lights flickered violently without warning. He looked at Tabitha, who glanced at Amara. They knew what that meant.

Cerebro at full power.

* * *

><p>He was getting close.<p>

With a slash the man cut through underbrush and small branches that got in his way. Charging forward he broke through the road block.

Logan was panting by this time. He had not slowed since he picked up the scent. He had no idea how long it was taking him, but he knew the sun was not in the same place it was as when he started.

He paused long enough to catch the scent again, turning to his left and taking off once more.

Xavier would tell him to pace himself, to wait for help. There was little he could do on his own if he reached the mutant first, but Logan could not run the chance of getting there too late. The jet would be there soon enough, he knew the professor was tracking him through his cell phone, so he did not have to worry about losing them.

He crashed through more barren foliage. He found himself in a clearing with dead grass underfoot. A tree to his right had been uprooted, several branches of other trees were snapped off, and the ground was trampled. Across from him was a grouping of boulders, the forest had led up right beside a steep, rocky hill.

Laid across one of the dark stones was a person he had almost never thought he would see again.

His red hair was in disarray, a long bloody cut led down from his hairline to his chin. A brown leather chest plate lay in shreds across his chest, a long-sleeved black shirt underneath, and a pair of brown pants below. His eyes twitched restlessly under his eyelids.

"Leo!" Logan shouted. The teen did not look good, but at least he could hear him breathing.

As the man started to run across the clearing shapes emerged from the forest. He froze in his tracks and looked around him. The shapes were emerging around the boulder pile, standing like silent guards to the fallen mutant.

A certain figure in a tan mask knelt beside Leo for a moment and then looked up accusingly at Logan. She stood shakily, but regained her composure.

"Well… if it isn't Wolverine…" She mused, her bright green eyes shining out from under her mask.

"Clay Dune…" The gruff man gasped.

Clay Dune looked around her to her squad assembling. Two new additions stood among them, Spades dressed in a dark red and orange vest and black pants, and a tall figure in pilot goggles, a black cap, and black leather jacket. Turquoise eyes looked out from behind the goggles, but very little other than his build would hint it was the missing Turbulence.

Spades hopped to the top of the boulder that Leo lay on and knelt at his head. His demonic face twisted horribly and he sucked in a quick breath. To his right Turbulence merely glanced down at his brother coolly. Cloak walked up behind Clay and every muscle in his body tensed under his brown cloak. Kitsune was scrambling over one of the boulders and his eyes narrowed to slits when he saw the scene in front of him. Ash and Wyvern slunk out of the shadows of the trees on the left, the girl's pupils shifting into slits as they did so. Fenris bounded over the rocks and stopped in front of Clay with some sliding of her paws. Knife climbed out of the branches of a tree and rested comfortably on the trunk. Portal and Whisper both stood halfway in the shadows of the trees behind and to the right, their eyes fixed on Logan. Parselmouth hissed slightly as he came to stand alongside the rest of the team. A grim smile reached Clay's eyes.

"Team… I think it's time we _caught_ _up_ with the X-Men."

She unsheathed her sword.

A rustling behind Logan let him know his own team was there.

The light of battle gleamed in Clay's eyes, she raised her sword. Her team tensed, drawing weapons or leaning forward for the charge.

"Go!"

"X-Men! Go!"


	38. Chapter 37: CU Civil War

**Disclaimer: The X-Men aren't mine, they're Marvels! Check my profile for full props on OCs.**

**Author's note: **Man I've missed their faces.

'Sup guys? That's right. Finally after I left you all hanging several months ago I finally bring back the Haven story-arch.

Now I want to send a shout out to two readers.

One is the mysterious "Guest" that left a review on Chapter 35. Thanks so much! You know, after I read your comment I went looking on the XME page and saw like five 'Season X' stories. Thanks for giving mine a chance. I hope this chapter helps answer some Haven questions.

The second is to TheWritingGirl23 who thanked me for constantly reviewing her X2: Survivors story (check it out, it's cool and has a certain trio of brothers occasionally). So I wanted to thank them for thanking me for reading, and return the thanks. Did... that make sense?

Seriously thanks to all my reviewers and readers, you guys know who you are (especially you regulars). It means the world to me to see a review.

Without further ado... here's the multi-chapter "Catching Up" starting with 'Civil War'.

**Enjoy. Read. Review**

* * *

><p><em><strong>A slight recap… Nearly a month ago…<strong>_

"_We need to help." Enrique stated, standing up and looking at his teammates._

"_Why? It's not our problem." Sionnach grumbled._

"_That's where Nuju's family lives…"_

"_I thought when you joined up you left your family behind." Sionnach continued._

"_That doesn't mean we don't watch over them… I doubt Nuju or his little brother know about this… Who wants to play hero?" Clay asked with a smirk._

_Jaller entered with a cocky smile and a _thud_ of the door. "Actually no one's leaving."_

"_Jaller!"_

_His team walked in behind him, the youngest received an awful glare from Portal._

"_Pathos."_

"_Portal."_

_As his eyes flashed red she sprang forward at him with a fierce yell._

"_What do you want?" Clay half-growled._

"_Good news. We are taking you into isolation." Jaller grinned. "All of your actions have earned you as such… Defying orders, skipping border patrol, engaging the X-Men… We need to remove you and give you time to think."_

_Clay gave in, walking directly up so she was in front of Jaller and smirked. "Where am I goin'?"_

_He laughed. "I know you. That's why Fusion is here."_

_Fusion grasped Clay's arms as she was shoved at him. Fear pricked her bright eyes as she yelled out at her team. "Go now! Otherwise-" She started. Suddenly the light faded out of her eyes, the normally neon green color dimming to an almost gray. The light absorbed into Fusion's body. Clay Dune breathed one last sigh and collapsed, her body falling to the floor._

"_Clay!" Zendi had shouted. She charged at Jaller's team._

_Jaller stepped in front of her and back handed her across the face. She stumbled back and tried again to attack. He blocked her movements with ease and grabbed her by the throat. He tossed her back, and Sionnach clumsily caught her before she could slam into the wall. He fingered his katana._

"_Now everyone is to remain here… There will be no heroics."_

* * *

><p>As soon as Jaller finished his statement Xander collapsed from his stance by the couch. Jaller's eyes narrowed.<p>

"So it's gonna be like that…" He muttered.

Sionnach helped Zendi up and then looked around at the other mutants. No one was taking charge. For some reason he felt compelled to be the one to do so.

He unsheathed his own sword and pointed it straight at Jaller's chest. "You will regret messing with us." His lips curled up in a snarl. "TEAM, GO!"

No one hesitated. Sionnach charged at Jaller, angling his sword down and whirling it around his head as he closely approached his new adversary. Jaller reacted fast, though, bringing out his own sword from the sheath at his side and blocking the fox-mutants first strike. He merely grunted and his own team went into action.

Thok extended his hands and the ground vibrated. Small, loose stones from the walls and ceiling flung themselves at Clay's team. Wires attached to the overhanging electrical lights and pegged along the ceiling began to strip themselves out of their holdings. One of the industrial lights flickered, the glass shattering. Wyvern threw himself over his sister, his hard scales and spikes deflecting the debris. Seth Severus (who was with his team once more for some training exercise that had originally been planned for that night) arched his back against the onslaught and ducked his head down. A noise somewhere between a battle cry and a hiss left his mouth and he barreled toward Thok, aiming to knock him over and break his concentration on the inanimate objects in the room. Seth had been at the haven long enough to know what, and how Thok's powers worked. The rest of the squad covered their heads with their arms the best they could. Seth slammed into Thok like a battering ram. The sturdy spike-armored mutant stumbled and tripped over his own feet after the force. The glass and stones stopped flying through the air and fell dead in the air, clattering to the ground.

Portal, Enrique, Rena, Zendi, Pathos, and Fusion stood back up, even the ones on Thok's team with cuts on their arms. The two opposing teammates glared at each other as they waited for someone to make the first move.

With no one holding her back any more Portal ran at Pathos, the boy's eyes shining a murderous red. She had no weapons on her, since their team had been caught off guard, but she tackled him to the ground with an angry roar. The boy's back was pinned on the cold, stone floor as she sat up on top of him and punched him in the face.

"You don't know how much I've wanted to do that." She spat. She allowed herself a small smile of satisfaction when she saw the blood trickling down from his nose. After nearly three years of pent up anger she finally got the chance to release some of it.

Pathos blew some blood from his lips and smiled back at her. "Oh, I _know_." His eyes flashed coal black and Portal gasped, rolling off of him and grabbing at her throat.

"Portia!" Enrique's concerned voice broke through the rest of the battle chaos. He had just emerged from his room with his belt dagger and metal bo staff. He dove into the fray.

Rena leapt at Fusion as Portal started forward, her teeth bared. The white-blonde haired boy dodged her, side-stepping to the left. Her lean wolf body flew through the air and she landed sure-footed behind him. She growled menacingly and spun around. Fusion faced her and made as to bend down and take Clay's sword. A sharp bark from Rena's muzzle stopped him, the sound waves packing enough force to propel him into the wall a couple yards behind him.

Zendi joined the fight against Jaller. She jumped up to the ceiling and scurried across it to avoid the skirmishes below, until she was above the sword-fighting mutants. Sionnach's blue and white hat was trampled beneath their feet, the pair now extremely close to the open door way with its large steel door flung wide and partially dented in the stone wall from the force it was opened with. The fox mutant's signature white jacket whirled around him as he spun, duck, and slashed.

Knife dropped from the ceiling so just her left hand held firm. Jaller raised his arms too high, allowing a huge opportunity for Zendi. With quick movements she took a small knife from her belt she had taken to, much like Clay, not taking off while inside the Haven. She flung her arm across her body at the perceived opening, the knife becoming little more than a blur as it streaked toward the temporarily open chink in Jaller's armor.

Zendi hissed out in disbelief and frustration as he twisted his body out of the way just in time.

"Come on! Whisper, if you're still in here, a little help?" She muttered through closed teeth. She flipped down from the ceiling, her feet planting a double-footed kick on Jaller's chest.

"Now, _that's_ more like it!" She laughed. Her laugh died as Jaller stood back up and swung his long bronze sword at her. "Eep!" She jumped backwards out of his range and Sionnach filled her slot with a swipe of his sword.

* * *

><p>Toward the back of the new battlegrounds, still by the couch and television, Ashley nudged her brother.<p>

"Nico… I think you can get up now." She whispered. The sounds of crashing glass and rock had just stopped, replaced by several battle cries and the constant clash of metal swords.

The young mutant moved slowly, standing up with maximum caution. His aquamarine eyes were filled with worry, as he sat up he reached his hand out and wiped a trickle of blood from his sister's cheek. The two siblings rose to their feet.

Ash's eyes were drawn to Nico's side. Right where the tough scales ceased and gave way to the soft cream fur on his stomach was a jagged piece of glass. The fur around the shard was stained dark red. The small girl's eyes went wide.

"Nico, don't move."

"What? What is it?" He asked, complying with her, but there was a frantic edge to his voice.

"N-nothing." She soothed. "Just look at the television. Don't take your eyes off of it."

"I-I'm not feeling so g-good…" The boy muttered, turning his attention to the television, which was still on and tuned to the Bayville news channel. A black female reporter was speaking on the screen, the buildings behind her being licked by flames. He tried to focus on her face, or on the scrolling words at the bottom of the screen but he felt light-headedness creeping in. His vision blurred for a second, but then it cleared. Like the little soldier he was, he did exactly as his sister asked.

Ash walked closer to her brother. The shard was sharp around the edges, guaranteed to cut her hands if she simply grabbed it. Thinking fast she tore a chunk of cloth from the bottom of her shirt and wound it around her hand.

_I hope that works…_

_Hope what works?_ Nico's thoughts interjected.

Ash cursed herself. Without thinking she had opened the telepathic connection with her brother.

She inspected his side carefully, parting some of his fur away. The glass was intersecting his left side horizontally, the edge sticking out from his side along the gash. Most of the piece of glass stuck out in front, the sides slippery and bloody. Ash quickly decided the best way to remove it. It would be best to take it out now, since she could stop the flow of his blood as she healed him. She took her bound hand and grasped the shard.

"Portia!" Enrique's voice cut through the other noise around them.

Nico whipped his head to the side and Ash yanked the glass out. He let out a startled yelp and looked down at her. Fresh blood began to flow out of his side. He stumbled back in surprise and sat on the couch. Ash ran up to him and placed her bound hand on his shoulder, hurriedly putting the piece of glass on the back of the couch, the blood on it sinking into the fabric.

"That was an awful trick." He whispered.

Ash raised an eyebrow silently and placed her other hand on his wound.

Nico turned his head to glare at her, even as his panic started sinking in and making it hard for him to breathe.

"Ripping my side open when I turned to find Enrique." He muttered, a half-hearted angry undertone. He half-hated his sister for not telling him there was glass in his side. She just didn't want him to worry about her.

He always felt bad when she had to heal him.

A purple glow encased her left hand and the cool energy extended to the gash on his side. He felt his warm blood stop flowing out of his side, and his side begin to stitch itself closed. The boy looked worriedly at his sister, waiting for her to react.

Her skin was already getting paler, and her breaths shorter.

There was another cry from the fight, it sounded like Zendi, and Nico grew angry. How could these other Haven members just barge in, take out Clay, and then provoke them all into a fight?!

He hadn't been around Jaller for long, he and his sister came there early the previous April after he accidently murdered two men with his shoulder spikes. Clay was in charge of everything then, and things ran smoother. He remembered how in early summer Jaller had challenged Clay formally. He never took a liking to Jaller because of his suspicious and arrogant nature, and watching the dual between Clay and Jaller only made him like him less.

They fought in the arena, the same place he watched Clay battle it out with several other team leaders for him and his sister to be placed on her squad, and seemed evenly matched. Like his sister, he had an eye for detail and had seen the slight switch when Clay Dune had gained the upper hand. And then suddenly Jaller let her get in close to him so he was close to her… and she screamed.

It was the only time he'd ever really heard his leader scream. It was disheartening. Pain and shock mingled together into a completely ugly sound, it was the sound that haunted him in his nightmares now instead of the dying grunts of the two men he killed. Clay was one of his heroes.

And he watched her shatter.

_Twice_.

Ash withdrew her hands and resisted the urge to clutch her side. She looked at Nico's eyes. Fury burned behind the pleasant color.

"No, don't—" She started weakly.

Wyvern stood up and whirled toward the battle.

* * *

><p>Enrique jumped over Clay's still form and dodged around Rena and Fusion's fight, as well as Seth and Thok bear wrestling. His dagger was thrust in his belt and he flicked his staff to his side.<p>

Portal lay on the ground next to the young Pathos, the boy recovering from his punch to the face. He wiped the blood from his nose and watched in amusement as Portal withered on the ground. His kaleidoscope eyes mostly flashed shades of red now as the general emotion in the room was anger. He ran a bloodied hand through his bed-head hair and smeared the remainder of the red stuff on the purple fabric on his chest.

He heard Cloak's cry and stood rapidly, back flipping a few feet away from the girl and waiting for Enrique's attack. The white-haired mutant rushed at him with his staff, swinging it at the younger boy's torso. Pathos dropped face and ducked under the metal rod, before scurrying between the teen's legs.

He let out a childish laugh as he dodged another swipe. "Can't love her. Can't save her. Tsk, tsk." The boy said, shaking his head in mock sadness.

Cloak's face contorted in anger and he shouted something in Spanish. He whipped his staff around so it was little more than a silver glint, and came at Pathos. The younger boy was agile though, dodging the blows with ease that mimicked Clay or Zendi in fights. He ducked inside Enrique's arms and struck at a pressure point. The teen's arm went numb and he dropped his staff with a surprised yell.

Distracted, he didn't avoid the younger boy's sweep of his legs. Enrique landed hard on his back and stared at the stone ceiling without really realizing what happened.

Stars swam in front of his vision and he struggled to take a breath to clear his fuzzy mind. He groaned and rolled over to his side. His deep blue eyes fell on Portia, who was only about a yard and a half away. Her eyes were squeezed shut and one hand was firmly clasped around her throat, the other in a fist above her heart. She wasn't moving.

"No, no, no, nononono…" Enrique heard himself say, but he didn't remember conjuring the words. He scrambled up and over to her.

"Porsh… come on…" He whispered, placing a cool hand on her cheek. It didn't cross his mind to think about where Pathos had gone. Cloak pried her tight grip off of her throat and squeezed her hand. She twitched irritably and her eyes snapped open. She looked up at him and shouted in warning.

"RICKY!"

A sharp _crack_ echoed around the room and Enrique fell to the side, quickly gripping his lower chest. He had broken ribs before, but none had hurt as much as this time. His pained state of mind no doubt added to it.

"Ahhh!" He cried out in pain. Pathos stood over both older mutants with Enrique's metal bo staff in his hand, and a proud grin on his face. His eyes gleamed yellow.

* * *

><p>Sionnach ducked under a swing of Jaller's sword and managed to kick the taller mutant back so he could recover a little. Wyvern had joined Rena in fighting Fusion, who had taken in all of Clay's combat skills, and the trio had gotten relatively close to Jaller, Sionnach, and Zendi who clung to the ceiling.<p>

Knife swung down again and hit Jaller with a series of quick jabs, most of which her opponent blocked with his forearms. She continued to force him into defense with as many quick attacks as she could so Sionnach could breathe a little. No one could really tell where Xander was, but they would feel his mental presence every once in a while reviving their spirits and telling them where to strike.

Rena's bark cut through the mental haze Sionnach was falling into and he temporarily turned his attention to her battle.

The wolf-dog had her teeth clamped down around Fusion's forearm and he knocked her off with a kick. She rolled on the ground a few times before springing back up and sending a sharp bark his way again. This time as he flew back, he fell into Wyvern's waiting arms and the young mutant held him tight.

Sionnach allowed himself a smile as he saw their fight, and as he saw behind them Seth bite Thok's shoulder in a sudden attack. The bulky mutant stumbled forward and then fell.

But a cry of pain from Enrique stopped the fox mutant's heart. He whirled to his right to see Portal and Enrique both on the ground with Pathos standing over them like a conqueror.

He couldn't catch his breath. His blood was boiling. Furiously he remembered the look Portal had given him, how _young_ Pathos was. He knew Zendi couldn't hold Jaller off on her own, nor would Seth be able to. Everyone else was preoccupied and he most likely wouldn't be able to reach Enrique before Pathos struck again (though it looked like he was going to take his sweet time).

"Oy!"

Sionnach turned around in confusion. It sounded like Clay's voice.

His eyes fell on Fusion who was straining against Wyvern's hold. Fusion stared straight at him, his eyes glowing neon green.

"Don't just _stand there!_" Fusion's voice was oddly doubled with Clay's, strained tight. Fusion rolled his eyes in a totally Clay-like manner. "God damn, USE YOUR EFFIN' POWERS!" The mutant yelled, eyes snapping back to brilliant blue at the end of the phrase.

Kitsune sucked in a breath. If Clay fought her way to the top of Fusion's consciousness to tell him to do something, he should probably listen. He turned back to Pathos and whipped off his reflective sunglasses, sticking them in his jacket pocket.

"Help out Zendi, Xander." He muttered. "Ay! Short-stuff!"

Pathos lowered the staff in his possession which he had been about to strike Enrique with again as the white-haired mutant tried to drag himself across the floor. The boy looked up.

And into Sionnach's eyes.

"_Drop._" Kitsune snarled.

Pathos' eyes rolled to the back of his head and he simply _dropped, _smacking the side of his head hard against the stone. Sionnach shivered and shoved his glasses back on. Hopefully the boy would take a while to get up. The teen ran over to Cloak.

Enrique watched Pathos fall to the ground and sat up the best he could against the pain with help from Sionnach. He looked thankfully to Kitsune. He wanted to properly thank him, but there were still hazards in the room. "Jaller." He gasped, nodding his head to where Zendi fought her attacker.

Sionnach's face fell and went back to his fight.

Really, was a thank-you kiss too much to hope for?

He sprinted across the room, as he did so allowing himself to change into his full Kitsune form, he was _done._ It was time to make Jaller back down.

"Zen, duck!" He shouted, charging in at Jaller. Zendi got down the second he spoke and Sionnach swung his katana right where Zendi's head had been a moment ago at Jaller's chest. His sword hit home and left a long gash in the other mutant's armor that nearly cut through to his flesh. Nearly.

Jaller's yellow-green eyes widened in shock and he stumbled back a few paces. Slowly, he turned his head down to look at the damage down. He narrowed his eyes in appraisal and leapt forward at Sionnach, his sword down at his side.

Moving too fast to block, Jaller closed his hand around Kitsune's throat and lifted him from the ground. Sionnach flailed in distress and dropped his sword, using his hands and claws to try and pry Jaller from his neck.

"Whelp!" Jaller growled, bringing the teen close to his face. He threw Sionnach back through the open door behind him, and then started after his adversary.

Xander sat straight up off the floor, rubbing his head a little. He looked around quickly and then chased after Sionnach and Jaller, pausing only to scoop up the katana off the floor.

* * *

><p>Portal pulled herself up and shook off the deep feelings of pain and grief left over from Pathos' powers. She stood groggily and saw the room had settled in activity. Pathos lay on his side not moving several feet away. Thok was face down behind the television. Ash sat gasping on the couch, Seth sitting next to her appearing to be talking softly to her, Enrique was staggering over to the other side of the room near their small kitchen area where Rena and Wyvern held Fusion.<p>

Seth looked up as Portal stood, and rose himself. "We musssst go. Portal, I will go with you. We do not know what we'll be up againssst." He looked down at Ash. "Assssh, I fear we will need you assss well, are you up for it?"

Ash nodded, although Seth could tell it was in her best interest for her not to go. He chose to ignore that.

The snake man looked back to Portal. "We ssssshould go now. Time is ssshort." He hissed.

Portal flexed her hands. "Alright." She looked for Zendi. The Italian was staring at her, waiting to see what she would say. "We'll be back."

She swung her arm up and a swirling portal opened. The three mutants stepped through.

Enrique finally reached the other side of the room and came up to Fusion. He grit his teeth in anger and swung his fist, socking the blonde, gelled up, teenager. Fusion gasped in shock and Nico shot a questioning glance at Enrique.

"Let go of him, Nico." Enrique said, his voice shaking.

"Cloak… I don't think—"

"**Let go of him!**" He shouted, anger vibrating his voice. Nico held his hands up hurriedly and Enrique grabbed Fusion by the front of his gray and electric blue uniform. "RAH!" He roared, shoving the boy into the wall next to him; hoping that _he_ saw stars.

He twirled the dagger out of his belt. Zendi's eyes widened. It wasn't Cloak's style to use blades.

"Release her." Cloak said dangerously, his voice as hard as steel. Fusion laughed. Enrique placed the blade up against his neck. "I said _release her_… or I'll kill you."

Fusion shook his head. "Like I'm gonna do what you say."

He pressed the dagger closer to his adversary's throat.

"Go ahead, kill me. Let's see where it gets ya!"

The boy slammed his hand into the other's shoulder, pinning him hard against the wall and staring coldly into his eyes.

"You're _afraid_. Afraid it'll make you just like—"

"Shut up!" The boy growled, pushing his blade closer. Blood now trickled down his adversary's neck.

"It's true. I can see it in your eyes. Your worst fear… to be like _her_. To grow to like killing. Afraid of losing your humanity in the suffering of others. In _enjoying_ it."

He growled, bringing his face within an inch of the other's. "I will not!"

"Four deaths… your own kind too. How did it feel? Did you like it? To watch the light leave their eyes? It brings a sort of rush, don't it?"

He took a shuttering breath before snarling.

"Cloak!"

The world spun and Enrique took a few shaky steps back. He was losing it. Looking down at his hands he shook his head, the dagger clattering to the ground. He could only shake his head.

Zendi rushed up and pulled Cloak farther away. "Get. A. Grip." She commanded softly. "Let me handle this." She approached Fusion with a hard glare. "Alright, we'll give you two options. You either release Clay willingly, or we'll get Thok to help out."

Fusion let out a scornful laugh, still cornered against the wall. "How ya gonna get Thok to help? I saw Parselmouth inject him with venom."

"And you think we don't have the antidote?" Zendi raised an eyebrow and gestured to Rena. The wolf-dog sprinted down the girls' hallway and returned a few moments later with a vial in her mouth. Knife nodded to her and Rena morphed into her human form, spitting the vial out into her hand, and walking over to where Thok lay face down.

"I hear being straggled by your own clothing is a rather horrible experience." Zendi mused, casting a sideways glance at Fusion. A drop of sweat ran down his jawline.

"You're— no, why would Thok help you?" He asked, unsure and his smile failing.

Zendi paused, tapping a finger against her lips. "Hmmm, let's see… you guys _mind-controlled_ him?" She watched his Adams apple bob up and down as he swallowed nervously. "Don't forget, we gave you another option. Maybe Thok will have cooled down in a day or so."

Rena crouched beside Thok and glanced back up at their captive. "What will it be?" She asked, her face as expressionless as slate.

"Fine, fine… I-I'll release her. Fusion don't need to deal with Thok all on his own." He added nervously. His stunningly blue eyes flashed green and a cloud of green light surrounded Clay's prone form.

Suddenly Clay sat bolt upright and gasped, clutching her chest and coughing uncontrollably. She swore softly, moving so she was kneeling on her hands and knees.

"Merciful lord." She gasped. "_That_ was awful."

Clay tried to stand, but completely toppled over as soon as she was on her feet.

"Well, that ain't gonna work." She muttered. She turned to face the remnants of her squad. "Zen, remind me that I **never** want to be a boy."

They couldn't help but laugh. Nico faked hurt. "We're not all bad Clay."

"No, but I don't _ever_ want to visit the interior of a teenage boy's mind again."

Fusion shuffled awkwardly from behind Knife and Wyvern. Cloak was now sitting on the couch, blankly staring at the television. "Well, uh, seeing as I'm no longer needed here…"

Both Knife and Wyvern slammed a hand into his shoulders. "Or you know, I could stick around…"

There was a groan off to the side, the squad looked. Thok was stirring. Rena shrugged, her face still blank, the vial in her hand empty. "Never said I still wouldn't give it to him."

* * *

><p>With a bright flash of purple, Portal's portal opened inside the warehouse district. The three mutants filed out. They were directly in front of an apartment building that the fire was just starting to spread too. A loud crash was heard somewhere off to their right, but they ignored it.<p>

"Alright, I got lead." Portal stated. No one questioned it.

The three ran into the building, jogging up flights of stairs and twisting around corners.

"So you've met Nuju's family?" Ash asked as they hurried.

"Yeah," Portal answered, "like once… it was a long time ago… we'll have to tell that story some other time." She turned at the sixth floor landing and ran down the hall, stopping at a door marked 852. She knocked.

"Knocking? Isssn't that—"

"Shush. I don't need your sass Seth."

The door opened hesitantly to reveal a short old woman with dark skin and graying hair. "Who is it? Who's there?" She asked. Large, thick, glasses were propped on her nose.

Portal cleared her throat. "Uh, Ms. Nelson, we're friends of Akim's."

The woman squinted up at Portia. "What? Akim? No, no, no. He hasn't lived here in years." She made as to close the door, but Portia stopped it with her hand.

"No, Ms. Nelson, this building's on _fire_. We'd like to help you out." Portia said, trying to keep the impatience out of her voice.

"Oh well in that case, come on in!" Ms. Nelson said, shuffling around and opening the door wider.

Seth and Ash glanced at each other.

"Can sshe even hear?" Seth hissed.

"Sssh!" Portia hushed, following the woman in. They'd get her out…

Eventually.

* * *

><p>"Okay, I think we've helped out about as many residents as the X-Men." Portal groaned. After Ms. Nelson, the other residents were more than willing to leave a fiery building.<p>

The trio stood atop an apartment just across the way from the warehouse. Seth flicked his tongue out as Portal turned to open a portal to go home.

"Wait…" He said. Portal stopped her arm halfway on its arch. "Leo'sssss in that warehoussse."

"What?" She asked, her portal vanishing.

"Leo Dyssson."

"Clay's Leo?"

"The very sssame."

Portal glanced at the flames dancing along the warehouse walls. It wasn't exactly somewhere _she_ wanted to go.

"Fine, we'll duck in quick, and try to get him out."

* * *

><p>"Well we had a pretty good run, eh?" Benj sighed.<p>

"Three brothers we started…" Ty started, slicing a cord.

"Three we shall end." Leo sighed. "We gave the X-Men a pretty good run for their money. They hadn't factored in on us being so troublesome."

"The two Dysons and the Dents. Three D's of trouble." Benj laughed. "The D-Factor."

"Sixty seconds…" Tyler muttered. He stopped fiddling with the electronics. "Benj, I'm going to throw these disconnected explosives, blast them as far as you can okay?" He wasn't ready to give up. "There's not much left, maybe we'll survive." He said half-heartedly. There was one last thing he could try as well.

Turbulence nodded. When Spades threw them into the air he slashed his arm through the air.

"Air bending slice!" Leo joked as they went flying into the night sky. He smiled as they disappeared.

"It's time to go home…" He sighed.

Tyler and Benj glanced at each other and then went to sit on either side of the trapped teen. Leo grabbed their arms and looked at them both.

"We're ending this journey the way we started it…"

"Together." They all said.

Leo smiled and started at the sky again. The pain was lessening, growing fainter. "Father God, we come to you today at last, broken and scarred. We've made mistakes, but all of it has led us back to You. Forgive us as we prepare to step into Your Kingdom…"

A bright flash interrupted Leo's prayer as the brothers turned their heads to see a dark swirling mass of energy.

"No way…" Tyler breathed.

Portal stepped out and looked at the three brothers, her eyes widening at Leo's predicament. "You want out? Drop the communicators, and we'll go."

"Done." Tyler said, standing and tossing down his communicator. "You can get Leo out, right? We have less than a minute."

"I can try, Spades, Turbulence, jump through the portal I have open right now. No questions. Not enough time." Portal commanded.

Tyler complied, but Benj stayed sitting next to Leo. He slowly removed Leo's earpiece, but made no move to remove his.

"I don't have to save you Mr. Dents." Portal said, closing the portal behind her. "You're just lucky I'm here."

He didn't say anything, or move.

"Whatever." Portal grumbled.

She flung her arms wide and a portal opened beneath Leo. The injured mutant slipped through.

_Fifteen seconds._

"Look, we need to go." Portal said urgently, covering her head as a fiery chunk of wood fell from overhead.

"Just… one second…" Benj muttered, standing up and looking away from Portal.

Benj sighed, and pressed the button on the side of his communicator. "Turbulence to Rogue. I'm so sorry Rogue. I love you."

_Five seconds._

Portal approached Benj and ripped the earpiece from his ear. "Let's go!"

* * *

><p>Seth tapped his foot impatiently back on the roof.<p>

A portal opened suddenly and Tyler stumbled through. Almost immediately afterwards a portal opened horizontally half a foot off the ground and a mangled Leo fell through.

"Sssshit." Seth swore. Ash rushed forward, planning to heal him just enough to make sure he would not die before they got back to the Haven.

A third portal opened on the far side of the roof. A loud explosion came from within the warehouse, sending flames spiraling skyward. The last two mutants dove out of the opening, followed by a burst of flame. The girl hit the ground hard, Benj landing partially on top of her.

"Agh!" She screamed, shoving him off and cradling her ankle. The back of her black jacket was singed and smoking, and the hem of her pants on her left leg was torn. Her foot was bent at an odd angle and there was a long scrape up her shin from the fall. She swore slightly and allowed Benj to help pull her up.

"What issss it?" Seth asked, dragging his glowing eyes from Leo.

Portal answered back through clenched teeth, with Benj supporting her on her injured side with his good arm. "My ankle. I think it's broken." She motioned for Benj to help her forward until she was standing alongside Seth. They stared at the warehouse completely engulfed in flames. She looked over at Benj and noticed his pale skin and the blood soaking through his other sleeve. "Come on, let's get everyone back to the Haven. Hopefully Jed is in."

* * *

><p>A few seconds after Portal showed up, Leo lost consciousness. He remembered feeling like he was falling for a small time span and then being engulfed in nothingness. What a sour moment of knowing he had been saved and then thinking he had been lost.<p>

The world came back to him in chunks. The first thing he was aware of was sound, though it wasn't clear. Faint murmurs hummed around his head and he opened his eyes to try and get a better reading on what he was seeing. Blurry images swam in front of him. A bright light high above him, the vague outline of a man with pale skin and black hair, a small girl, and a purple glow at his side. Touch came next, and he became aware of where he was laying. He was on top of an uncomfortable, cold slab (he assumed it was metal); its surface was slick under his fingertips, which he found odd. Did someone forget to wipe the slab off before they placed him on it?

The purple glow came again, and his side burned. He arched his back against the pain and howled. Strong hands pushed him back down by his shoulders.

Voices sounded again and he tried to filter the noise to make sense of it.

"Ash, take it easy. Healing him too fast will only be bad for the both of you."

Leo howled again and felt his hands shift into claws. He dug his claws deep into the metal below him, the sound grating against his eardrums. The crystal over his heart screamed as the purple glow spread over his chest.

"Jed, what's going on?"

Jed, the mutant in charge of the medical bay, looked up from Leo and to the door. The medical bay was a long narrow room with beds of all sorts and metal slabs lined up against one wall. In the center of the wall on the opposite side was a large metal sink set deep in the wall. Jed kept his hands firmly down on Leo's shoulders, ignoring his cries, while his eyes fell on two mutants in the doorway on the far left.

"Clay!" He exclaimed, his voice a little raspy from exhaustion.

The gray-skinned mutant stood with one arm wrapped across her rib cage and the other slung around the strong upper body of Zendi. The Italian had one arm under Clay's far side, and the other underneath the other girl's arm for support. The pair stumbled in as Clay tried to walk forward like an ill-devised machine.

Her skin was an ashen gray and her eyes far below their normal brightness, with her ponytailed hair in disarray and sweat glistening on her forehead. Jed was surprised to see her there when he could hear the noise of chaos and battle beyond the threshold.

It seemed as though the entire Haven had erupted into civil war.

Clay and Zendi continued forward, Clay panting a little as they went. She knew she was in no shape to do anything, but when Seth _and _Tyler Dyson came into her squad's common room she had to investigate. Most of her team had spread out throughout the Haven to try and subdue the fights that were breaking out between mutants. Apparently Jaller's team had caused a massive stir and mutants' loyalties were split between Jaller and Clay Dune.

She turned her head a little bit as Zendi forced her to come to a halt and saw Portal sitting on a bed a little ways down with her ankle bound tight, as well as Benj leaning against the wall behind them. She cast a bewildered and worried look at Zendi.

"What's exactly going on out there?" Jed asked, redirecting Clay's attention.

"I… I'm not completely sure." Clay muttered. "Jaller picked a fight he shouldn't have. Apparently he dragged Kitsune down to the arena where a lot of our mutants were gathered for mixed training sessions. He denounced me as a traitor to the Haven and Kitsune actually defended me, causing rifts in loyalty. I have to admit, not many people have grown to like Kitsune, so I don't know how many…" Clay shook her head. "Fights are breaking out between and within teams, Jaller-loyal control the arena, and levels four through seven as well as twelve through fifteen, the rest are on our side." She met Zendi's soft brown eyes. "I don't know how the Haven will recover from this."

Jed shook his head in shame. Digger had instructed him to remain in the medical bay and to help whoever came in. But so far only members of Clay's squad had come in, and the sounds outside only grew worse. Three times already he heard bloodcurdling screams.

"We only have the current to focus on." Jed mumbled. "Before you ask, they just brought Leo in about fifteen minutes ago."

Zendi started moving before Clay did. She knew Clay too well. "He'll be fine." She whispered directly into Clay's ear as they came to a stop at the head of Leo's bed.

Clay bit her lower lip as Leo howled again. As he settled Jed stepped aside and took his hands off his shoulders. The boy was on the only slab rotated parallel to the wall. The gray-skinned mutant put her hands down heavily on either side of Leo's head and propped herself upright. Zendi stood close next to her, ready to catch her if her legs gave out again.

Slowly and deliberately Clay brought one hand to rest on Leo's cheek.

Leo's senses burned with her touch and his eyes fluttered open again. It pained her to see his amber eyes so murky. He looked up at her, his vision swimming. The pain across his chest was subsiding and he could properly feel his legs again. Neither Leo nor Clay noticed Ash slump backwards into Jed's arms.

Leo narrowed his eyes, trying to interpret just was in front of him. It looked like Claire Darth, but the coloring wasn't right. Her skin was an ashy gray and her eyes were far too dull. Something in the back of his mind pricked at him.

"…Cl-Claire?" He stammered, his voice weak and airy. A memory tried to nudge his way into his consciousness but he pushed it aside, focusing on the face above him. She looked hurt, he wanted to fix that.

"Leo, oh God. Are you— how are—?" Her voice caught in her throat. Zendi propped her up a bit, thinking she was going to fall. "Leo…" was all she managed to croak out.

"You… your skin… l-looks f-f-funny." He breathed. "Has it always been gray?" Leo saw her pale considerably. "What?"

"Leo… there's… something I haven't been completely honest with you about…" She said, her voice strained.

"What… do you mean?" Leo asked.

The memory pricked at him again. He tried to ignore it and focus on Claire's semi-familiar face, but it shoved its way through this time.

"_Girly? That's pathetic."_

"No…" He groaned.

"_Now, be a dear and set me down so we can talk like normal people."_

"_We're not normal."_

"_Huh, I'd say better than normal."_

Another half-memory poked through.

"_It's nice to see you again, Leo."_

The way she said his name, like it was something exotic. Her bright green eyes. How she always seemed to know uncanny things about him and the X-Men. The times she had been missing from school… How did he not see it earlier?

"Wow, I'm an idiot." Leo moaned, squeezing his eyes shut.

Clay almost chuckled from the way he said it, but decided it was not the best option. "No, you're not. Leo, I'm—"

"Go away." He grumbled, turning his head so her hand fell beside his face. His heart ached and his mind burned. He did feel like an idiot. It was so obvious before. He didn't want to see her face. He felt betrayed entirely, not only by Claire, but by Clay. The girl he possibly loved and the mutant who presented an open opportunity to him, both were a lie within one another. Where her hand had been in contact with his skin was heated, against what his mind wanted he longed for her to place it back.

But she didn't.

"I'm so sorry…" Claire/Clay whispered, her voice barely audible and filled with pain. "I'm so sorry."

"Shut up." Leo spat, harsher than he meant, but it carried all the emotion he felt from that day. He was hurt and wanted to hurt her back. "You already said that."

Claire frowned. "You never let me finish. Please Leo, I'm so—"

"Seriously? Stop."

He heard her take a sharp intake of breath and she shuffled backwards. He realized they had just recounted almost word-for-word one of their conversations.

"Jed… Take care of Ash. Leave our guest alone for a bit with his brother. If he needs anything, don't hesitate to give it to him." Clay said with hard, barely contained emotion. The way she called him a guest sliced his heart open. "I have a haven to save."

* * *

><p><em>Relationships aren't something that can be fixed with a magic word, or strength of will.<em>

_They are so easy broken. So easily torn._

_It takes work and perseverance, but just the efforts of one won't rebuild what's been dashed._

_Sometimes… things fade… and other times mistrust rips friendships apart._

_But a fight between friends…_

_Causes more destruction than anything else._

* * *

><p><strong>Who's ready for more? Stick 'round buddies! The Haven ain't done yet!<strong>


	39. Chapter 38: CU Shattered Remnants

**Disclaimer: X-Men are Marvel's. OCs belong to a variety of reviewers. And of course, yours truly. Special shout out to magicrazy101 for Zendi (cuz Zendi's awesome) and HMaster for Xander (cuz he gets some action here).**

**Author's note:** STORY TIME!

Okay. So here's what happened: I've been swamped with schoolwork. The original title/idea for this chapter was "Fighting Friends", buuut... I got into a fight _with_ my friend and I was emotionally unprepared to write the original idea (don't worry, everything's fixed there). Still borderline same idea, just with different in between scenes instead of actual fighting. (which is why for the small poem at the start)

Oh, and so we got hit with this massive snow storm and school is cancelled for tomorrow... today.. whatever... which is why this is coming on a Thursday.

So for more Haven chaos:

**Enjoy. Read. Review.**

* * *

><p><em>Fights between friends are most difficult to watch,<em>

_Because friends and former allies_

_Know the other's weak spots._

_A fight amongst friends is hardest to stand_

_Because contempt and betrayal_

_Go hand-in-hand._

* * *

><p>Sionnach's head thudded hard against the ground. His maroon hair was falling from its band and as he scrambled upright he looked frantic. His sword had fallen when Jaller had grabbed him, and now he felt naked. He had nothing to defend himself with besides his powers, and his skin still crawled from what he did to the Pathos kid.<p>

He scrambled first into a sitting position and then when he saw Jaller descending on him like an apocalyptic storm cloud he spun around and clambered to his feet.

The new mutant had spent little time outside of his squad's area besides for arena training, and even then that had only been a few times. Even still, he saw how well he was cornered on the landing outside of Clay's area. There was a small open area and then the lift that connected the floors. It was an industrial lift with metal columns and steel base. Obviously no one else had used it since Jaller's team barged in, the lift itself was still on their floor.

Sionnach turned back around and faced Jaller. He conjured flame in the palms of his hands and threw his hands to the side.

"Alright, come and get me." He growled, barring his pearly white fangs.

"Much obliged." Jaller snarled back, his smile now looking forced and pained. He charged forward at his opponent. It was clear his head was not on straight, Jaller had returned his sword to his side and he extended his hands out as he approached Sionnach.

As a quick thought before Jaller threw him back again Sionnach's mind thought that over. _Keep him angry, he'll try and use his hands. Might live longer that way._

Jaller grabbed Sionnach by the shoulders and spun him around, flinging him into the lift. Sionnach felt the heat from his hands briefly before he was sent flying. He skidded to a halt on the textured floor of the lift. Blue flames sputtered out as Kitsune shook his head out. The other mutant advanced on him, and he jumped up, this time he was ready.

The taller mutant reached with his arms, intending to manhandle the fox-mutant to the ground, but Sionnach reached up and grasped his hands. The two intertwined their fingers as they began to push against the other in a struggle for dominance. With a flash, blue and orange flame spiraled from the duelers' palms. Jaller's black gloves frayed from the heat and fell from their height as large fiery ashes. He grit his teeth behind his mask and applied more force. Sionnach's elbows buckled, but he pushed back, playing dirty by digging his sharp black nails into the backs of Jaller's hands.

"You're… leaking power there… _Jal-luh._" Sionnach growled through clenched teeth. He pronounced his opponent's name the way Clay often did, knowing it got on his nerves. He allowed himself a satisfied smirk as he saw his cut got to the older mutant. Jaller squeezed his hands tighter, threatening to snap the bones, and whirled the mutant around, sending him crashing into the control panel.

Sionnach let out a yelp of pain as metal shards bit into his back. Sparks flew behind him and the lift began its descent. As the walls started shifting around them he flung himself at Jaller.

Xander came running out of the squad room at that moment, clutching the katana in one hand. His eyes were a little clouded from his recent return from the Astral Plane, but he was no worse for wear otherwise.

"Kitsune!" He called out, his voice cracking slightly. He ignored his humiliation as he saw his teammate smashed into the lift's controls.

Xander swore and started forward. The lift was sliding downward at a faster pace than usual and it was well below the floor by the time he reached the edge.

The teen peered down the shaft. Smooth brown rock went down for twenty floors or so, the lift's top shifting away from where he stood, followed only by a thick metal cord.

"Oh man, oh man." Xander whispered. He glanced behind him, happy to see Sionnach's sheath on the ground. He snatched it up and clipped it across his chest, sliding the katana in neatly. He took a deep breath and stepped a few paces back from the cliff that was the elevator shaft. "Better do this while I still have the guts…" He muttered to himself.

With a wild cry he ran forward and flung himself into the open space. He soared through the air with his arms flung wide, and when he hit the chord with his upper arm he hooked his elbow. He stopped flying by and he quickly wrapped himself around the chord. Taking another gasping breath he started shimmying down after the lift.

* * *

><p>Jaller and Sionnach continued their wrestling match until the lift hit the bottom floor with a metal <em>clang<em>. The jolt surprised them both and they were flung from the metal transport.

The pair were sprawled out on the floor for several seconds before either could respond. Sionnach was the first to recover; jumping up and placing his back to the open space behind him that he knew lead to the arena. He would rather have space to maneuver to and retreat if needed than to be cornered by the swordsmen.

Jaller got up slowly, dramatically drawing his sword as he set his feet. This time he wasted no words, flames danced from his hands onto his sword where it remained on his blade. His lip was curled up in a snarl, a large crack ran up the face of his mask from his lip to his right eye. He looked at Sionnach incredulously, like he could not believe that the mutant was still fighting. He swung his bronze sword in a flat arch, flames extending out from the tip.

Kitsune ducked under the line of flame, and did several handsprings to get out of the way of the following slashes. He grunted as he went, thankful now for the grueling training sessions with Clay Dune.

Flames chased him the whole way until he landed on his wrist wrong, causing him to fall on his head. He didn't even have time to swear before Jaller's blade was at his throat.

Golden eyes looked up from the hard floor. The teen's hair was in disarray, maroon strands falling in front of his eyes and clinging to his snout. His chest was heaving from exhaustion, and sweat plastered his fur.

It took him a while, but Sionnach soon realized what was around him.

He was in the arena.

Stone benches surrounded the oval-shaped floor, going up twenty or so rows, enough to house the entire Haven. A light layer of dirt covered everything, and was thicker on the floor.

More than just the surroundings though, Sionnach saw there were mutants there.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Digger, the dark-skinned, metal-armed mutant, and his team, including the pale medic, Jed. A tale blonde boy stood among them, as well as two other boys and two girls. Other teams stood off in groups, armed with weapons. It seemed as though Jaller and Sionnach's fight had interrupted a large training session.

"Jaller?" Digger called out, his voice held traces of confusion.

Jaller took several deep breaths, letting out a low growl. He kept his sword at the fox-mutant's throat, but halted the flames.

"This… _traitor_… is in for some reprimanding." Jaller said, loud enough for everyone to hear him. He looked up and around him, as to make sure everyone was listening. "This is Kitsune, a member of Clay Dune's squad… Clay Dune has been putting the Haven in wrongful danger, betraying our secrets to untrustful sources, shirking her responsibilities, and defying orders. She has been undermining the structure of the Haven for months. We have therefore taken her into isolation." Many of the mutants burst into uproar. "Silence!" He roared. "As leader of the Haven you must obey my decisions. I did this action for _us_. To protect _us_ from threats like _her._ Clay Dune has only her interests in mind."

"That's a lie!" Digger cried in his deep bass voice. He took a step toward Jaller in his combat gear, rough tan canvas pants and sleeveless shirt. Both fists were balled, and anger vibrated in his voice. "Clay Dune has done nothing but good for this place! Times were always better when she was in charge instead of you!"

"How… dare… you!" Jaller returned. He temporarily paused to take his sword away from Kitsune's throat to point it at Digger.

Sionnach rubbed his throat. He was sick and tired of Jaller spewing lies.

"I think you need to get your facts straight." Kitsune mused. He sat up and wiped the blood from his neck on his jeans. "From what I can see, Clay's sacrificed everything for this place. She's never had to do any of that. She never had to rescue me from that jail cell. Never had to give up her meals to make sure her team got something to eat. No one told her to teach a nine-year-old how to use a sword. Never made her put up with a fox with a rod up his ass." He laughed scornfully. "If anyone should have a problem with her, it'd be me. She can be a total bitch, but when the going gets tough, she puts it all in."

Sionnach smirked as he saw Jaller's face turning red in anger.

"Take a breath there, clanker," Sionnach grinned arrogantly, "looks like you're ready to explode."

"Why you—"

"KITSUNE!"

Every mutant whirled around in the arena to see Xander sprinting in, sword in hand. His pale skin was flushed pink, his green T-shirt completely soaked with sweat. His hands were bloodied, but his face remained determined.

"I… think you left his… upstairs." He wheezed, holding up the sword as he slowly came to a halt beside his teammate. There were chuckles around the arena. He looked Jaller defiantly in the eyes, handing Kitsune the katana. "I think you'll do much better with this than I will."

Sionnach accepted it, aware of the blood on the hilt. He made a mental note to hear that story. He allowed Xander's help in getting up, palming his sword.

Xander stood right behind him, fists clenched. He was ready to do what he must.

Kitsune raised his sword. The arena had begun to grow into a crescendo of murmurs. "FOR CLAY! FOR THE HAVEN!"

And all Hell broke loose.

* * *

><p>"Clay, Clay, CLAY!" Zendi yelled, more annoyed than angry. "Stop, how the hell are you even walking?"<p>

Zendi was chasing after a hobbling Clay Dune. Clay had left the infirmary swiftly after receiving some harsh words from Leo Dyson. Her legs were numb and every step sent a jolt straight up her bones to her spine, but still she kept going. She was not about to let anyone see she was upset.

And upset over a _boy_ no less.

Finally Zendi grabbed onto the girl's arm and yanked her back, holding her shoulders tight so she couldn't run off again. She looked straight in Clay's eyes, looking for what emotion gripped her and what the girl was thinking. Zendi did not like what she saw. First off, the neon green glow everyone was used to seeing in Clay's eyes was gone, her eyes were little more than a grayish green hue. Secondly, her eyes were shiny, tears swimming but refusing to go anywhere. Clay was not one to show _that_ emotion.

"Clay…" Zendi started.

Her friend turned away, tilting her head down and squeezing her eyes shut. _Emotions, who needed them?_ She had bigger things to worry about. The Haven was dissolving in civil war. This was no time to think about herself. She had to lead the mutants who relied on her through the ongoing battles.

If people were willing to fight for her, she had to show she was willing to fight for them.

A warm hand on her cheek forced her to turn back to her friend. Zendi's warm brown eyes gazed sadly at her. Without warning the younger girl threw her arms around Clay, wrapping her in a hug. Clay buried her head in her friend's shoulder, hugging her back.

Sometimes words were not needed.

"How am I gonna do it all, Zen?" Clay's voice sounded small, scared even. It tugged at Zendi's heart, because when something got Clay this down there was not a ton she could do.

Zendi pulled back, holding her at an arm's length. "With help. But really, you shouldn't be fighting. You are in no shape to."

"I have to Zen, mutants are counting on me to _lead_ them."

The Italian wrinkled her nose in thought. Suddenly her eyes widened. Someone might as well have put a light bulb above her head.

"You can. They want to know you're behind them. That you're leading them. We have communicators, I can relay your orders."

"Zen, I need to be out there fighting!"

The girl tossed her hands up, Clay almost toppled over, but she caught her quickly. She remained irritated. She shouted something in Italian, waving one of her hands a whole bunch. She calmed and glared at her friend. "Sometimes I want to slap you upside the head. YOU CANNOT FIGHT! YOU WILL FALL OVER!" She lowered her voice as they heard a crash down the hall. They needed to get moving again, needed to place Clay somewhere safe. "Will you just trust me?"

* * *

><p>"Gahhh." Portal tried her ankle out again, but it buckled under her weight. "I am so done." She grumbled, flopping back on the infirmary bed. She sat up straight again and facepalmed. With a wave of her hand a portal opened beneath her and she slid through in ashamed silence.<p>

Like Portal, Leo was also getting antsy. The noises and crashes from outside were too much to just ignore.

He had figured out why the slab was slick, he had nearly bled out. It didn't take much to convince Benj to help him move to another bed. The healer, Jed, had also brought him a fresh set of clothes. It was only a white T-shirt and athletic shorts, but it was a welcome change.

His healing factor was kicking in big time, the crystal over his heart a buzz of activity. It glowed intensely under the light shirt to his annoyance. Leo continually tapped the smooth surface in hopes to get it to stop. Instead it only glowed on, casting his face in amber light. He should be grateful, but his mood was deteriorating as the minutes passed. He started to long to be back under that metal beam.

His brother, Benj, leaned silently against the wall. He had also changed out of his X-Men uniform into a matching outfit to his brother. His Steampunk goggles rested on top of his head, soot covered and grimy. He could not take his eyes off of Leo. Benj had pulled through so far, Leo had somewhat 'closed' the empathy link in the accident, and Benj was reluctant to make sure it was clear once more. It was obvious Leo was hurting. How neither had seen the Clay Dune reveal coming was astonishing. Really, how'd they miss that?

Benj shook his head, but his eyes traveled back to Leo. The feline mutant was now sitting against the headboard of one of the linen beds, his legs stretched out in front of him, head bent down, and one hand just above his crystal. Ropey scars traced their way up Leo's legs. It was scary how many scars the two of them now possessed. A faded white scar went down Leo's entire arm, and another was etched just above his right eye; one thanks to Magneto, one to Wolverine.

Marks showing just what being an X-Man had gotten them.

The skater grit his teeth as a shout sounded from the hall. Jed and Ash were in the far corner, Ash was incredibly pale and sprawled out in intense pain. There was little Jed or anyone could do for her. Benj got an idea though, and he walked up to them.

"Can… can I try something?" He asked. It was awkward since he did not know how much any of them trusted him.

Jed looked down at Ash, his white eyes suspicious. "Her choice."

Ash turned her eyes to him and blinked. He guessed she wanted him to explain.

"I could try just putting you at enough ease to sleep. At least then your subconscious can ignore the pain." Benj said timidly. The girl narrowed her eyes at him, but she had a spasm suddenly in her pain and nodded quickly.

"Alright, try to relax." Benj whispered, stretching his hands out and placing them on her temples. He reached out in his mind, recalling his lessons with Professor X. He went carefully, unwilling to harm this girl. He sent calming thoughts and auras weaving through her mind, lulling her into peace. He knew at that point he had succeeded in putting her to sleep. Cautiously he removed his mind and he gave the healer a gentle smile.

Jed nodded, but said nothing more.

A mutant burst in the doorway of the infirmary, causing the three conscious mutants to direct their attention to the entrance. It was a tall, short-haired, blonde teen with dazzling white teeth and tan skin. His eyes glowed a slight orange and faded as he stood there. He wore a black vest over a bright orange shirt and cargo shorts. A green strip of cloth was tied on his upper arm and around his neck.

Jed stood suddenly. "Plasma!"

The boy took a deep breath. "Oh my gosh Jed, it's insane. Insane I tell you! Digger's somewhere in the arena, couldn't find him again, sent me up to the upper floor to see if Dusk was back. Just so you know… he's not. And YIKES man! Mutants jumping out of nowhere, asking quickly who you're for or just trying to knock your skull in before they know… dude… it is chaotic out there. It's just so crazy, I don't know how we're doing."

"Plasma, slow down." Jed said, walking up to him. "Where's our team?"

The new boy looked sadly down at the ground. "I don't know for sure. I think Beth is with Digger… but everyone else… I-I lost them."

Jed took a shaky breath. He looked back at the two Dyson brothers. "How about Clay's team?"

"Well _them_ I know. Hard not to, you know? They're really taking charge. I'm pretty sure Clay is in their squad room, leading the charge from there. Wyvern is with her, Parselmouth and some red demon guy are down in the arena, with them it seems to be clearing out fast. Knife's in whatever center floor we have at the moment, relaying orders from Clay and taking care of any kids who come in. We're tryin' to keep the youngins out of this. Kitsune is leading the frontal charge with Whisper where they can, last I heard it was the fifth floor, working their way up. Uh, haven't seen Portal, thought she was in here… Cloak is on defensive team on the eleventh floor, as well as Rena."

"I see…"

"We just got some new orders in though, the wounded are to be brought up here pronto. No matter what side. I'm just about to go out there and do that. So… prepare to be swamped." Plasma added quickly.

"I'm gonna need some help, I can't keep up this level of healing." Jed sighed.

"I'll find Digger. He can probably help your powers stretch." The boy suggested. He paused for a second, for the first time realizing there were other mutants in there. He blinked repeatedly and looked from Leo to Benj to Leo again. "Oh. Well, hey there. You're new, welcome to the Haven! I hope you enjoy your stay!"

The brothers looked at him in disbelief. Where did the positivity come from?

"Yeah, uh… so far it's been swell…" Leo replied.

"You… you, uh, single?"

"PLASMA!" Jed yelled, irritation in his voice.

"Right, right, I'm off!" Plasma smiled. His eyes glowed again, and his entire body was encompassed in orange energy. He turned and zoomed off through the open door.

Jed rubbed his temples and turned back to the Dysons. "I am partially sorry for Plasma, he doesn't know how to keep his mouth from running. I might need some of your help soon."

Leo shook his head, actually jumping out of his bed. His healing factor was obviously working well, because other than a slight waver he stood firm. "I think we'd be more help out there. I can carry multiple mutants back here at once."

"Now, wait—"

"Trust me, he's made up his mind." Benj interrupted. "Don't get in our way."

Jed swallowed as Leo shifted into his lion humanoid shift and roared. "Anyone injured you say?"

"Yeah…" Jed muttered.

Leo looked back to his brother and they ran out of the medical bay.

* * *

><p>Clay fiddled with the gray sphere in her hand. Her Haven communicator was warm in her palm as she set it down in her hand. She was growing more and more anxious for news from anyone. Especially Nick, who could have the key for pulling the Haven back together: the force to do it. She personally could do little, other than strategize.<p>

And it was driving her crazy.

Nico watched her nervous antics from an armchair across from her. She was laid out on the couch, ignoring the blood stains, staring at her communicator intently. He could feel her emotions in the air. It was making him tense as well.

"Clay."

"Mmm."

"You're making me freak out."

"Yeah, I know." Clay answered back bluntly. "Sorry."

They settled back into silence.

Her communicator blinked and she made an attempt to leap up… and well… failed… forcing her to resort to flailing and pressing the button.

"Clay Dune."

"Hey! Clay! There's… well there's something I gotta talk to you about." Knife's voice said over the device. She sounded evasive.

"What is it?"

"We… we found a body…"

Clay squeezed her eyes shut tight. "Oh God, no. Who… who was it?"

"Heather Smith, Golden…" Zendi replied, her voice seemingly close to breaking.

The leader heard Nico gasp, and resisted looking at him. "Heather… she's been here for years… who's side…"

"She was wearing a green cloth, so we're guessing she was supporting us." The girl answered, her voice hard. "I don't know who killed her… I can't imagine that… how did it… I just…" Zendi had to stop.

Clay let out a low whine. She pushed memories of the girl out of her mind. "Send out who ever's with you. Secure the floor. Look for clues. We _will_ do justice for her."

There was a pause as Clay guessed her orders were fulfilled.

"Have you heard from Dusk?"

Clay shook her head, answering. "No, I don't know where he went. I'm about to send a message to him."

"Quickly. I… I don't think we can handle finding another body."

* * *

><p>Nick Darth arrived in his office of the Haven in a whirl of shadow. He sighed deeply and removed his helmet upon entering. It would appear as though someone had beat him to the Dysons.<p>

He stretched an arm above his head and then stopped as he heard the sounds of battle echoing up from the halls.

_What the—_

He started toward the door when the gray sphere on his belt flashed red. He activated it and listened.

"Dusk."

"Nick! Get back here!" Clay's voice sounded tired and raspy from the other side. She sounded broken. "The Haven is in chaos."

"I can _hear_ that…" He mused. "What is going on?"

"Jaller supporters versus me supporters. I didn't ask for this. I didn't want this, Nick. And… Jaller attacked my squad. Fusion held me captive for much too long. I… I can't even _walk_."

Nick burned in fury. "Jaller?! What is he DOING?!"

"I don't know… but Nick… we found… God… Heather Smith is dead."

"Golden…" Darth whispered in disbelief, suddenly having the urge to sit down. He shook his head violently. "I will put a stop to this. I hope the infirmary's up and running."

With that he stormed out of his office.

* * *

><p>Every floor he went through, Dusk pacified fighters. Much of it was just his presence, but where mutants were still fighting he used his powers swiftly to pull the combaters apart and knock them out. The ones still standing he instructed to take the wounded to the medical bay.<p>

There was a reason Darth was the undisputed overall leader of the Haven.

He encountered Cloak and Fenris on the twelfth floor. Both saluted when they saw him. He waved them closer and explained to them what he wanted.

"You two go get Clay. Bring her down to the arena. Any mutants you see along the way tell them to go to the arena as well."

"Yes, sir."

He continued on, his fury unwavering.

He ran into Knife next, and sent her ahead of him to start getting her side to stand down. That made his going much easier. Darth ran back into Zendi again on the seventh floor, where she showed him where the deceased girl was.

Darth knelt slowly next to her still form, studying the immediate area around her. It was horrifying to him that someone would go that far to one of their own. He sighed and closed the girl's eyelids over her pale green eyes. As he stood he looked to Zendi.

"I think I know who did it, but we will ask for witnesses as well. Perhaps luckily, we will lose more mutants to expulsion than death." He said grimly. "Make sure word is sent to her team."

"They already know."

"Then have them come up here. Did you take pictures of the area?"

"Yes, sir."

"Great. Her team can care for her now." His voice was cracking with sorrow, the melody changing its tune. He looked down at the girl. Her golden blonde hair lay around her in its normal wavy way, streaked with blood. A silent tear fell down the man's face, and he quickly wiped it away. He had to remain strong. "God rest her soul."

* * *

><p>The arena was where most of the chaos was. It could contain many more mutants, so that's where many were, duking it out with each other. Mutants fought on the ground and in the risers, using all manners of weapons and powers. Bright flashes of colored energy pierced the air at odd times, winds blew, and fires crackled.<p>

Darth put one foot inside of the arena and took a deep breath. He walked in a little farther and closed his eyes, stretching his arms.

Shadows sprung to life all around the arena, extending as tentacles and grabbing onto battling mutants. As they struggled the shadows pulled tighter, pinning them to walls and floors. Soon the arena became silent and all eyes were fixed on Dusk.

The man stepped into the center of the arena, anger dancing in his purple eyes. He waited silently as mutants began file in behind him. When he thought there was a majority there he spoke.

"I am disappointed."

There was nothing worse to hear than that.

"I am disappointed that so many of you would become tangled in this civil war. What did it accomplish?" He asked, his voice echoing around the stone cavern. "Nothing." He slowly released his hold on the mutants. The young adults sat hesitantly wherever they were, many having faces like those sent to the principal's office.

Darth paused again, motioning for the mutants entering to find a seat. He saw that among them was Clay being supported by Cloak and Fenris. A small cheer went up around the arena, but a look from both Clay and Darth silenced it.

"Some of you might have heard… we lost one of our own tonight." He paused, the mutants around the arena held their breath, fearing the name of someone they knew well. "Many of you knew her only as Golden, but she was also called Heather Smith." Multiple mutants gasped, and there was a pained cry from somewhere within the cavern, it echoed hollowly against the walls. "She arrived here four years ago, and served briefly on Tick's team, and then on Digger's, before moving again to serve with Tagg." He paused again.

"**This is what your fighting has earned!**" He shouted. "Was it worth it?"

"I understand that many of you were fighting in loyalty to Jaller, but I am sorry to say that from what I can tell, he is the one responsible for her death."

At this point there was a scuffle at the entrance to the arena. A well-known mutant came into view, holding Jaller's arms behind his back. It was Sionnach. Behind him were three other members of Jaller's team: Thok, Pathos, and Fusion. Pathos was being led by Thok, and Fusion was draped over the bulky mutant's shoulder, out cold. Thok's eyes were set hard, it was obvious he was no longer in support of Jaller.

Darth's eye twitched as he watched the mutants. He waited patiently as the perpetrators were led in. The helmet on Jaller's head was bashed and broken, half of it had fallen away to reveal a harshly handsome face with curly black hair plastered to his forehead.

"I've never had to do this in the whole of ten years." Darth said with clear disgust. "I have never had to turn mutants away from any safe haven. But today, you have forced my hand."

Jaller, and Pathos were made to kneel, and Fusion was laid beside them. Darth looked down at them with a pained expression.

"Jared Parks, Antony Robinson, and Ted Holmes… Jaller, Pathos and Fusion… I have to ask you to leave the Haven. We will be civil enough to let you collect your things, but we cannot allow you to return here. This is the punishment you must face. Being here is a _privilege_ and like with all privileges, they can be taken away. You are hereby banished from the Haven."

Jaller looked up at Darth with hatred in his eyes. A snarl reached his lips.

"I'll be back. You'll see what a mistake you've made."

Darth leaned in close to the teenager. "I made no mistake; you on the other hand slew one of my daughters. You are no longer sons of mine."

* * *

><p><strong>Let me know how that went. And as a little incentive to review: If I get 5 or more reviews I will post another chapter just after Christmas Day.<strong>

**Plus, my winter break is about to begin. YAY! Which of course means I am going back and managing Haven Origins. I should have the edits done speedily (tomorrow I say optimistically?), but give me a little longer for Xander's intro. I've had too many scrapped starters for him.**

**Keep writing strong.**

**(And seriously, a review would be nice. I like those. Make me happy)**


	40. Chapter 39: CU Broom Brawlers

**Disclaimer: The X-Men aren't mine, they're Marvels. The OCs, well you know the deal. Check my profile for full props. Thanks guys!**

**Author's note:** MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Or if you don't celebrate Christmas, Happy Solstice! In case you're still in the dark, the world did not end. It is safe to emerge from your bunkers.

I said this would be up on the 26th, and here it is. Tada! Actually met a deadline.

A little shorter than the last one, but this chapter is a bit of a bridge. (and no, not a wimpy one like Chapter 4)

**Read. Enjoy. Review... whoops.**

***Enjoy. Read. Review. Eat cookies.**

* * *

><p>"Our primary concern at this time is reconstruction." Darth announced, his voice carrying throughout the arena. He now stood in the very center of the floor, the worst of Jaller's team now gone. The lights above were damaged, and flickered, casting huge shadows across the stone benches. Nick's voice was now calming, full of strength so needed. Every muscle in his body tensed and relaxed as he took a deep breath and went on.<p>

"Everyone is to go back to their team areas. If anyone is injured bring them to the infirmary. Any mutant with healing abilities, or personal regeneration, or any power that could help, are to also report to the infirmary. I will be moving throughout the building so if you need me use the communicators. I understand that some of you will want team reassignments… and I will assess those situations when I soonest can. If it is dire find me, or find another team to temporarily bunk with. For now I want the rest of you to clean up your team areas."

"I realize now just how out of control I let this get. As of now I am assuming the full leadership role. We will not hold contest for another peer-leader until, if ever, I deem it okay." He spun slowly around as to look every mutant in the eye. "Clay Dune _will not_ be resuming her former role as peer-leader. Perhaps this was what some of you hoped for, but I will tell you now that it's not going to happen."

There was a shifting of eyes and in the rows to where Clay sat in between Cloak and Fenris (in her wolf-dog form).

The hackles along Fenris' back raised, her ears flattened into her skull, and her lip curled up as she turned her head to dismiss some of the looks. Many were looking accusingly at Clay like she had messed it all up for them. Rena barked gruffly to silence the whispers.

Enrique looked down at his hands as Rena barked. He was shaken by what he had let himself do, what he had _almost_ done, to Fusion. To add to that the news of the death of Heather had struck his heart. Memories of battling alongside her sprung to his mind and he shut his eyes quickly to shut them out.

What had happened to them in the last few hours?

Clay did her best to meet the stares defiantly, but her best was not very good. Her eyes were dim and every part of her ached. She had kept her eyes closed through most of her father's speech. But now they were snapped open, keenly gazing around. Best to put on a show, when her mind was too weak to fight or argue.

Dusk drew their attention back. "I want a tally of the broken, needing repair, and needing replacement items." He turned a few times until he found Digger. "Ah, Digger. Assess the kitchen, see what we need as far as food and supplies, as well as what equipment is needed either for purchase or repair. I trust this can be done?"

The dark-skinned teen nodded, standing and placing his metal fist across his chest. "Yes sir."

"I have nothing more for you at this time. Move out!" Darth shouted.

Amidst the rustling of rising mutants, Clay turned to Enrique, putting a limp hand on his shoulder to stay him. "Wait for the others to leave… And then we'll follow…" She whispered, her voice hoarse.

"Clay…?" Enrique questioned.

The girl shook her head, closing her eyes weakly.

Cloak's heart dropped. He glanced across to Fenris, who wore a similarly worried look in her multi-colored eyes. There was more than just a physical hurt to her, they could both tell. But they stayed silent.

The arena was empting moderately, every entrance in and out was being used as the mutants filtered away.

A slight hissing above them caused Rena and Enrique to look up. Seth stood a few rows above them, hopping down with lanky, fluid strides, followed by a red-skinned mutant with horns.

"Ssspadess…" Seth said, turning to the mutant beside him. "Meet Clay Dune, Cloak, and Fenrissss… properly of courssse."

Cloak glanced at Fenris, and then stood, looking up at the mutant on the row behind. He extended his hand. "Nice to meet you Spades… when we are not fighting each other."

Ty nodded solemnly, taking the Spaniard's hand and shaking it. Enrique grimaced at the heat, but hid his pain. The new mutant raised an eyebrow when he saw the white-haired boy flinch, and in realizing why quickly withdrew his hand. He flung his hood up suddenly.

"Good to meet you too." He spoke quickly, casting a few nervous glances around. He was much too aware of the large X shoulder pads he wore.

Almost as if she had read his mind Rena spoke up. "You may want to consider a change in costume."

Spades nodded, fingering the obnoxious shoulder pads.

Clay's eyes fluttered open and she took a shuttering breath. After a quick glance around she spoke. "Let's go back upstairs."

* * *

><p>Leo and Benj watched in horror as more and more came into the infirmary. The total was already somewhere around thirty injured mutants. The two brothers stood in one of the far corners out of the way. The bustling inside the narrow room was making the both of them jumpy.<p>

Jed stopped beside them again. "Man, this is crazy."

Leo nodded dumbly. Benj turned to the pale mutant. "How are you holding up?"

Jed shrugged. "I'm tired. More tired than I've been in a looong time." He frowned. "I know it's not your place of concern… you have your own team back with the…" He paused," well you know."

Benj sighed. Now was the time for decisions.

Would they remain? Or would they go?

_All of your futures are intertwined with that of the Haven. _

The onrush of thoughts whirling through his head made him want to sit down. But instead he faced them, deciding to make a decision right there. Leo had wanted to come to the Haven for a long time… Benj wasn't just going to leave him.

"This is our new home now." Benj said softly, but clearly. "Is there anything we can do to help?"

Jed looked over the two mutants, running a well-skilled eye over them. "You two would be the most help with clean up. Seeing as Clay's crew brought you in, I'll send you up there." He gave them simple directions. "Oh, and Leo?"

The teen turned as he and his brother started walking toward the door. "Uh, yeah… Jed?"

"Forget about Plasma. He does that to nearly everyone who comes in. _Everyone_."

Leo chuckled. "Wouldn't be the first time."

***BREAK***

Zendi hefted a push broom and walked into her squad's common area. A giddy smile was on her face.

"You know what I love? Sweeping!"

Sionnach looked at her like she had gone insane and arched an eyebrow. He, Xander, and Zendi had just returned from the arena. They were surprised to see Portal already there, and when they realized she was crippled on the ground their curiosity increased. She sat with her head in her hands with her knees brought up. With her ankle wrecked she felt as guilty as Clay for not being out in the fight; but unlike Clay she knew she could not fight it.

Nico also gave Zendi a funny look. He swept his tail slowly along the ground, brushing glass aside. "You're pretty… excited about cleaning…"

Zendi shrugged and tossed the broom in her hands to Sionnach. The teen fumbled to catch the broom, and it clattered to the ground. The girl laughed, and turned to retrieve another. "Come on guys, the faster we go, the faster we get to hear Xander's story!"

Sionnach looked at Xander and cracked a smile. "I _do_ want to hear that one."

Xander sighed. "We better get started then. Bet I can clean faster than you."

"Yer on." The fox-mutant growled, already beginning sweeping.

"Hey! I don't even have a oof—!" A broom flew through the air like a javelin and hit him square in the chest. Xander coughed as he rubbed his ribs and stood.

Zendi stood leaning against the hallway wall of the girl's side with a smirk on her face. Another broom leaned against the wall. "I'll take you both on."

Nico flashed a toothy grin. "I can beat all of you just using my tail."

Portal looked up from her spot along the wall. She watched with amusement as the broom battlers began. It was something simple enough to snap the mutants out of the gloom that was soon to fall again. It was heavy stuff they were dealing with, but one thing that always got the teens' minds off of things like that was competition.

Zendi twirled her broom in her hands and slapped the brush down swiftly. She pushed the broom along the ground, taking glass shards and debris with her. Sionnach already had a pile started and he swept junk from the far side of the room toward it. Zendi smiled mischievously and swept some of his pile away into hers as he was making his way over. He paused momentarily at his pile and looked at it, remembering it had been larger before. He glanced suspiciously up and saw the smirk on Zendi's face. He narrowed his eyes and flicked his tail.

_So that's how it's gonna be?_

He waited until her back was turned and then he snapped his fingers, conjuring a small bit of flame above his fingertips. With a sly look he shot a thin jet of blue flame at Zendi's pile of glass, melting some of the shards together like an abstract piece of art. He stopped before she whirled back around, innocently going back to work and humming.

Zendi narrowed her eyes at him and pursed her lips, suspicious of his seemingly sweet character. When she went to brush her trip's shards into her pile she grinned, noticing the melted-together glass. She looked up at Sionnach and put her hands on her hips.

"And what was that supposed to accomplish?"

He looked up, light glinting mischievously off his glasses. He lowered his glasses slightly to she could see his eerie gold eyes. "Well, it'll make it easier when I come back to steal from you."

"Or for me!" Xander chuckled, sweeping past them with the large melted shards from Zendi.

"Hey!"

They went back to work, sweeping the glass shards and rubble up like little whirlwinds, occasionally stealing from each other's piles. Thanks to Zendi's increased speed and the boys' overall enthusiasm to win they were done within fifteen minutes.

Four nearly identical piles of debris lay in the middle of the room, with the mutants standing proud over them.

"Well I think we know who the winner clearly is…" Zendi started.

"Me!" Nico shouted, waving his broom in the air.

"No way dragon-breath." Sionnach grunted, gesturing to his pile. "Mines got _inches_ on yours."

Nico stuck out his tongue at the teen, which caused Sionnach to flinch backwards. The tongue was _purple_, and forked like a snake's.

"Unngh…" Sionnach groaned, stepping back a few steps. "Freakin' mutant tongues."

Portal rolled her eyes from her spot on the wall. "Leave him alone Fox-face. You aren't really one to talk about appearances."

The boy turned and glared at her, he had gotten very good at glaring though his sunglasses, and she met his gaze with even heat. Secretly Sionnach was glad he had not earned the same look that Pathos did. He annoyed her, but not to the point of hatred. It just happened to be fun to push her buttons.

Xander bent down to his pile and carefully removed the melted glass piece. "You know, I think I'll keep this." The others looked at him with a mix of expressions. He glanced up and saw their faces. "You know… as a reminder not to let this get too bad." He paused, looking down at the glass. It was bent up in places from the heat and in others the separate pieces had pooled together into a smooth surface. "And of course, the day I decided to fling myself down an elevator shaft."

That comment gained laughs.

"Story time?" Nico asked, looking at Zendi.

She shook her head. "Not yet, let's get this placed right outside the door for the big cleaning crews." She turned her head to look at the couch. Blood stains spotted its surface and the cloth was ripped in places from the fight. One of the lights overhead swung slowly from its remaining support wire. "I'll add the couch and the light to the list for replacements. Anyone want to help me lift the couch?"

"I will."

The heads in the room turned to the open doorframe (the metal door still stuck in the wall) to see two new arrivals.

"Leo…" Kitsune growled. He wielded his broom across his chest, ready to spring forward. He leapt over the pile of debris and ran at the feline mutant in front of him.

It wasn't just mistrust that spurred him forward, but a jealousy. He was well aware of Enrique's feelings for the feline mutant, feelings he couldn't get directed at himself.

Leo's amber eyes opened wide as the mutant came at him. Resorting to his combat instincts he ran inside the doorway and slid under Kitsune's broom as he swung it. The fox mutant whirled around quickly and slammed the broom down. Luckily for Leo he had moved the split second before, rolling to the side and jumping up.

"Dude! What's your problem?!" Leo shouted as Sionnach swung the broom at him again, causing the former X-Man to jump back in reaction.

"What—" Swing at his head, "—the—" jab at his stomach, "—hell—" kick at his shoulder, "—are—" head-butt into his chest, causing Leo to fall to the ground, landing on his back, "—you doing here?!" Sionnach grunted.

Leo groaned, rubbing his chest and sitting up. Sionnach had managed to slam his head into the glowing crystal on Leo's chest.

_Man he has a thick skull._ Leo grumbled to himself.

Sionnach sprang forward and grabbed the front of Leo's shirt, drawing him close. He bared his teeth, his muscles quivering. He was very close to going into his Kitsune shift just to smash the teenager's face in.

Benj at this point ran forward, halting suddenly and taking a stance with his knees bent to either side in a line. With a sweeping motion of his hands he shoved his hands forward like he was pushing something, sending with the motion a wall of air. The air slammed into Sionnach and knocked him free of Leo, tearing the shorter boy's T-shirt collar thanks to the fox's wicked sharp nails. He soon stood over the mutant, turquoise eyes burning.

"Thought we might be some help." Benj half-snarled. He took a deep breath, letting his anger out and stepped back from the assaulting mutant. He flicked his long blonde hair from his eyes and turned back to Leo, extending a hand to him.

Leo grasped it and stood. Part of him wanted to run at Sionnach and return the favor… but another part told him he was not up for the task.

The other Haven mutants came up behind Sionnach, Xander bending down to help the downed mutant up, but Sionnach slapped his helpful hand away. Zendi glared at the Dyson boys with a cold stare. She had just watched Leo break Clay emotionally, and was in no mood to trust him so suddenly.

"State what business you have." Zendi's voice was hard, and almost metallic in sound.

Leo glanced up at Benj, attempting to send a thought through to him. It came over a tad fuzzy in strength due to Benj not repairing the empathy link fully.

'_Don't… trust.'_

Benj shook his head slightly.

'_Zendi's gonna kill you for what you said to Claire-Clay.' _He corrected too late.

Dread, fear, and anger washed over Benj through the half-formed empathy link. He shivered. If that much emotion came through a damaged link… he couldn't stand his brother like this.

"We wanted to help." Leo grunted, swallowing his emotions. "We couldn't do anything in the infirmary so Jed sent us to help clean up here." His mouth twitched into a sour smile. "And you know how long I've wanted to come to the Haven. I had to see it for myself."

Zendi glanced at her teammates, who were all giving the two Dysons a suspicious glare.

"Are you here… temporarily… or…?"

"We're here to stay." Benj answered.

The Italian's eyes widened. She did not expect the boys to want to stay after what had just happened both to the Haven and between Clay and Leo.

Benj rolled his eyes. "Don't give us that look. We made this decision a long time ago. We didn't _just _change it because you guys ruined our dance, wrecked Bobby's room, and generally made things chaotic."

"Hey! The dance thing was _not_ our fault!" Zendi argued.

Benj smiled. "Uh huh."

"Whatever, if you guys are here, help out why don't you?"

Leo nodded, walking over to the couch. He shifted with a snarl and hefted the couch with ease. "Where you want this?"

Zendi nodded her head forward and Leo waddled out the door with the couch on his back. She turned back to Benj and basically stared at him for a few moments, to watch what he would do. He met her gaze but said nothing more.

She shrugged and turned to Portal. "Portal, debris."

"On it." Portal replied, waving her arm. A portal opened up under the piles of debris and they slid silently through. The girl took a deep breath as the pain built in her chest and she concentrated on opening a portal that would keep the piles intact. She bit her lip to keep herself from crying out in pain and released the piles from a portal out into the hallway.

Leo returned, brushing off his hands on his shorts.

"Okay then, what now?" He asked, forcing a smile.

"Room assignments." A voice called from the hall.

Leo grimaced. He knew whose voice that was. And he still did _not _want to see her. Even still, the hoarseness of her tone upset him. He was angry at her, but the best thing he thought he could do for the both of them was just to ignore her. She was in no condition to actually deal with him.

"Clay!" Nico shouted eagerly. "Is Ash back yet?"

Clay limped in, supported unevenly between Cloak and Fenris due to their varying heights. She did her best to give a smile to the boy while she came in, followed by the two tall mutants Seth and Tyler.

"I'm sorry to say she's not. Jed probably has her helping him out." Clay replied carefully.

Nico frowned. "Ash can't heal that many people. Jed wouldn't push her, would he?"

Clay bit her lip. "I don't know, squirt. Everyone's trying to do all they can. She'll be fine. The mutants she helps will consider Ash a hero."

Nico rubbed his foot on the ground, not meeting her eyes. He didn't like it, but he knew she was right.

"Well… uh, Ash might not be helping too much. She was sleeping when we left… her legs were still glowing…" Benj spoke up.

The young mutant's head shot up and he glared accusingly at Benj. "What? Why?"

Benj glanced at Leo nervously. "Well… she healed Leo… who had a metal support beam drop on his lower body…" Nico's eyes grew large in disbelief. She had never healed anything that bad before. "His legs were shattered, and twisted but she fixed that. From what Jed helped me understand Ash was feeling all that pain and it was crippling her very literally. I helped her out by getting her to sleep. She seemed to be in pretty intense pain."

"I gotta go see her!" Nico said quickly, starting toward the door. Seth stuck his arm out and turned him around.

"Sssshe'sss resssting. Bessssidesss, I hear we have a tale to hear from Xander." Seth hissed gently, bending down to talk into the boy's furry ear. He turned his yellow eyes to Xander. "Xander?"

The pale teen blinked, and then registered what he was asking. "Oh yeah, uh do we want to do story time now or after the Dysons get their rooms?"

Clay looked around at her squad. She suddenly felt very relaxed, seeing most of her squad safe and sound. "Well it'll just take a sec to get the Dysons settled in." She looked at the two in front of her. "Allow me to explain the rules:

"Girls' hall is on the left, boys' is on the right. You will not venture into the girls' hall unwelcome and if you do you can't blame any of us girls for beating you up. We have five rooms on each side, though some are currently storage. You can share if you like, I understand Leo and Benj, you two shared a room at the Institute?" The pair nodded, again creeped out by Clay's vast knowledge. "I think you'll have to…" She paused, making a mental tally. "… Xander shares on and off with Nico, who also shares a room with his sister when he wants, Seth has his own, though he's gone during the week at his apartment most of the time, Enrique and Sionnach are barred from sharing rooms with anyone, so they also have their own… that leaves one room open… oh…" She blinked away confusion.

"Uh, Clay? Do you want to sit?" Enrique asked softly, seeing her eyes go foggy.

She nodded slightly and her supports led her over to one of the armchairs, where she sat and rubbed her temples. The squad and new arrivals rearranged themselves, some sitting on the couch, others on the floor, and Xander in the other armchair. Knife came up and knelt next to Clay's chair, ready to help her.

When Clay didn't start back up again, Zendi prodded her memory. "Uh, that leaves one room…"

"Right," She said, shaking her head out, "one room. If Leo and Benj would share that'd be great." She looked at Seth. "Seth, I know you like your privacy, but can Tyler share your space?"

Seth nodded, giving a toothless smile. "Leassst I could do when he ssssaved my butt in the arena. 'Ssssidess I'm not alwaysss here sso I'll hardly notissse."

"Great." Clay said, sitting back in the chair. Her eyelids fluttered slightly and she shuddered. "Zen, help me to my room. You'll have to fill me in on what Xander says l-l-later." She stuttered at the end and shook again, her skin shifting shades.

Zendi laid a hand on her arm and pulled her up. "Come on…" She whispered. Clay almost toppled over, but she clutched her friend, and she remained upright. "Don't wait for me to come back…" Zendi said as they made their way to the girls' hallway.

The room got very quiet as Clay's door shut.

Finally Sionnach spoke up. He turned to Xander and gave him a funny look. "Were you _aware_ there was a flight of stairs?"

Xander grew pink in response. "Actually… no."

Sionnach tossed his head back and laughed. "Wouldn't that have been good to know?"

"Hey! I didn't _have _to throw myself down that elevator shaft after you!" Xander shot back.

"And yet, you did." Sionnach scrunched his eyebrows together and softened his facial features. "And I'm touched." He said mockingly.

"That's it! I'm going to kick your butt!"

"Right now?"

"Right now."

"Here?"

"Yeah, here."

Sionnach stood in a fighting stance.

Xander turned to Nico. "Put in the Brawler game."

"You're jokin'… right?" Sionnach questioned, his arms dropping limply to his sides.

"Nope. I hope your video game skills are as good as your sharp tongue."

"Guys, come on! The story?"

Xander paused. "Fine. So I chased after this guy because the idiot dropped his sword—"

"I WAS BEING CHOKED!"

"Shush. And by the time I got out of the room the lift was already sliding downward. Like any genius, I chose to follow…"

* * *

><p><strong>I know I didn't have Xander finish his story, but I thought since you already knew it, you didn't need to hear it again. So things at the Haven are <em>cleaning up<em>. But I know what you guys really want to see. Insane chaos of character conflict.**

**Admit it. You do.**

**Well it's coming. Clay and Leo still have unfinished business.**

**Now a point to make: if you guys got or are thinking of getting that Avengers game for Kinnect... don't play it for a long time nonstop. Cuz it's gonna hurt. Trust me, okay?**

**Those of you on break, have a good holiday. Just stay safe, have fun, and relax a bit from the school wind-up.**


	41. Chapter 40: CU Lion's Den

**Disclaimer: The X-Men aren't mine. They're Marvel's. The OCs that appear are listed on my profile. Though it's mainly just Zendi. So thanks magicrazy101. She's a ton of fun.**

**Author's note: **Who wants to hear excuses?

That's right, no one. You desire to see the update. But I must tell you. Sorry for taking so long but school's been strangling me. I was gonna get this written up on Saturday but something unexpected came up. But it was a good unexpected.

I'll draw a parallel to this story. If I was Sionnach, my Cloak told me they liked me. So I was on a cloud on Saturday and too distracted to write. Sorry guys!

But without further ado...

**Enjoy. Read. Review.**

* * *

><p>"Clay… you gotta talk to me." Zendi murmured.<p>

The two girls staggered into clay's room, and the gray-skinned mutant collapsed on the mat in the far right corner. She curled up best she could, since her legs were still not responding properly to her commands. Her eyes screwed shut and she shuddered again.

Zendi sighed, a hint of irritation in her breath. She leaned over and unclipped the curved sword from Clay's back. Standing she glanced around the room, finding the hook for the sheath and the rack for the sword. Moving quietly she hung them both up. She looked at Clay's uniform which laid out beside the rack. The bronze wrist guards were gone.

Zendi turned back around, leaning lightly against the stone wall, and watched her friend sadly. Clay's skin vibrated like a drum's membrane and shifted shades all the while. For a second it was ashen gray, then tan-gray like it should, then flesh colored, then pale like parchment...

Zendi's eyebrows knit together. Clay did not appear physically injured, though she figured the absence of control over her legs was due to having her consciousness sucked into Fusion and forced to merge with his. She shuddered slightly at that idea. Other than that though, she almost couldn't figure out why Clay was acting the way she was.

Almost.

The girl was friends with her long enough to know better. Clay Dune was scared; hurting mentally, emotionally, and physically. She had just witnessed and in some part been the cause of the decomposition of the Haven.

And she didn't _know _what was going to happen.

For once, their "great leader" was in the dark.

Zendi pushed herself off the wall and sat beside Clay. "Come one, Clay. Just talk to me."

"Not today, Zen. Not right now." Clay whispered weakly, turning over so her face was to the wall. She clutched her forearms where the bronze wrist guards were. She rubbed the warm metal to give her some peace of mind.

Was this the crossroads she feared? Was the Haven headed toward its own destruction now?

_My father believes Leo is the key to its prevention. What happens now that he doesn't trust us? Will he still fight alongside us?_

In her fevered mind she drifted off with the image of a split red diamond burned into her eyelids.

* * *

><p>Leo and Benj stood in the open door of their new room. Two metal frame beds were pushed up against the opposite walls, a desk in the far back left next to a glass door with a screen which led out to a small rocky balcony. Multiple cardboard boxes were strewn throughout the room.<p>

_Clay had said they used it as storage._

"I call right." Leo said gruffly, walking over and dropping his sole belonging of his X-Men uniform on the bed. He would have to get the bedding and sheets from the closet at the end of the hall.

"Dude… this is eerie…" Benj said, walking in after his brother. "This is such a similar layout as our room at Xavier's."

Leo grunted in reply.

Benj sighed and decided not to push conversation. Probably would not get very far with Leo now.

_A storm cloud for my brother, fantastic. _Benj rolled his eyes and tossed his uniform on the bed to the left. He turned to a box and pulled it up to his bed.

"Think we should go through this stuff?" He asked, looking up at Leo.

"I would not."

Benj rotated his head and looked at the doorway. Enrique stood looking in. There was a long cut along his jawline, and with a start Ben realized he probably received it from a knife blade… most likely an old friend of Enrique's.

"There is an empty room in the girls' hall. We should take them there." Enrique continued.

Leo narrowed his eyes, the light in them glinting dangerously. "How come we can't look at 'em?"

Enrique held the feline mutant's glare, getting that weird look Leo recalled him having the first day he met him. "The boxes contain some personal items of our team mates, as well as old and spare uniforms." He smiled, revealing his perfect teeth. "You should see some of Portal's old uniforms. She changes styles so often." When the two boys didn't respond much to his comment, his smile faded and he coughed. "_Hem_… well we will help you move it." He leaned out into the hall and waved. The other mutants came in and started taking boxes out.

As Leo hefted a heavier box, he frowned. "Where's Ty?"

Portal looked at him with her hands outstretched in the corner of the room, a portal at her feet.

"Dusk called him out. Wanted to talk to him."

* * *

><p>Dusk waved Tyler over to the side of the landing, pausing for a beat. "Would you prefer walking or teleportation, Mr. Dyson?"<p>

Tyler blinked. "Uh… what?"

The man waved his hand. "To my office, I would like to have this discussion in private."

"Teleporting is fine…" He gasped as the shadows sprung to life around them and grasped him. The darkness spread, obscuring his vision entirely, and he shut his eyes against the shadows' intense cold. His head swam for a second or two as he had the sensation of movement and his feet left the ground. Finally his feet hit solid ground again and his eyes snapped open. Tyler gasped for breath and put a chilled hand on the wall next to him to steady himself.

"Interesting…" Dusk mused, bringing a hand to his chin and leaning against the front of his desk. "Transport by shadow normally doesn't take that long…" he continued, more to himself than his guest, "…and rarely leaves one in this state."

Tyler continued to try to calm his racing heart and hurried breaths, quickly scanning the room. It appeared to be an office like the man said. There was a book shelf and filing cabinets against the left and back walls, and a metal door on the right wall. An ebony desk and a large black armchair were centered slightly in the back of the room. It was not very large and the room had an overstuffed feel.

The red mutant opened his mouth to speak but found his voice was failing him.

Dusk picked this up and went on, crossing his arms across his chest. "It seems your powers make you resistant and semi-incompatible with shadow travel. No matter, we'll be more careful in the future."

"Uh… yeah…" Tyler managed to croak out, clearing his throat. He straightened and walked over to stand in front of Dusk, still trying to understand what had happened, and willing the fire within him to repel the chill he felt clinging to his skin.

"I don't think I've had the chance to properly meet you, Mr. Dyson." Dusk stuck his hand out, and raised an eyebrow. "But perhaps you recognize me?"

Tyler frowned for a moment, shaking his hand, when it struck him. His eyebrows rose clear into his forehead and his icy blue eyes widened. "You're the principal at Bayville High, Nicholas Darth!" The man in front of him smiled grimly, his signature scar marring the look further. Tyler pondered it for a moment. He had really only seen Darth a handful of times, once on television, and another time at the opening Questions and Answers session before school began. He had caught glimpses of him at the Mutant Society meetings, but other than that he had never truly spoken to him. And he played a pretty convincing human. "Well this is a bit of a surprise, Principal Darth."

Darth shrugged. "Nick. I know, I regret for having to deceive you, but I had to in order to get where I wanted."

Tyler nodded. The school board agreeing on a principal with revolutionary equality ideas was one thing… one who was a mutant was unthinkable.

"But I did not ask you up here just to break the news to you."

Tyler narrowed his eyes. "Then why did you?"

Darth grew serious. "I need your help."

The former X-Man frowned and narrowed his eyes farther. "With what?"

* * *

><p>"You want me... to break in there?!" Tyler hissed through the rain.<p>

He and Darth were dressed in all black, with jacket hoods pulled firmly down over their faces. The rain sputtered and steamed against Ty's skin. He jabbed his finger up at the building in question. The skyscraper rose toward the boiling clouds, dark bluish glass reflecting the bolts of lightning that pierced the sky. They were in New York City now. Spades shook his head, frustrated flames dying in his palms.

"Cooper Industries? You've got to be a mad man, Nick."

Darth shrugged, his eyes gleaming fiercely when lightning streaked across the sky. "It will be worth it. You're not the one scaling up the side."

Tylers' arguments died, tight-lipped. If what Darth said was true, it would be _more_ than worth it. True he did not have to scale a building on his own, but he was not thrilled about hacking through the computers. Aside from Oscorp, no other company had a reputation for such severely sinister firewalls.

"Alright, fine. We better get started." Ty sighed. He pulled on a pair of thick-lensed goggles and leather gloves, glancing up to see Darth had done the same.

The man gestured forward and they sprinted across the dark, deserted street, the rain keeping most sensible people inside.

_But not us._

The two men halted at the side of the building as Darth hurriedly pulled equipment from his pack. He handed a cord to Tyler and went about securing themselves together for the ascent. He pulled tightly on the cord, checking the strength. Seeing that the clasps were holding he nodded to Tyler, and slung his pack back over his shoulders.

"I will make small dents in the stone for you to grip as we go. Just try to keep yourself as flat against the building as possible. This storm is giving up more cover, but the winds will get stronger as e climb. Keep as much heat as you can spare inside you, it will work better if you can melt through the glass." Darth explained to Tyler.

His partner nodded solemnly, flexing his fingers as he willed the heat to retreat.

Darth turned to the building and took a slow, deep breath.

The shadows around him vibrated in response, creeping toward him. They snaked across the ground and Tyler reflexively picked up his feet as they slithered under him along the cement. Swirling upwards the shadows attached themselves to Nick's forearms, stretching down and solidifying into scythe-like shapes that encased his hands. Shadows gripped his boots and shaped into spikes at the toes. He was ready.

Nick smiled grimly and swung his arm up to pierce the stone of the building structure. The shadows tore through the rock and held firm. He repeated the action with his other hand before stabbing his shadow-pointed shoes into the wall as well.

He began to climb, hauling himself up a few feet with each new grip.

Tyler followed behind as soon as Darth was far enough off the ground for him to grip the small dents he left behind. The red mutant was happy for the rough pads of the gloves (very similar to the ones Benj wore). There was a man's length of cord between them, and Spades tried his best to keep the cord relatively slack.

Rain assaulted them from all sides, stinging and freezing their exposed faces. Spades grit his teeth, flashing the deadly-looking shark's teeth as he pulled himself up again, his gloves starting to get slick from the rain. His arms burned from clinging to the side of the building. The rain howled past him, threatening to drag him along with his flapping and soaked wet clothing. His hood was ripped off his head and he swore softly. There was nothing to protect his head at all now the cold was already beginning to creep along the edges of his ears.

"Ey! Nick!" Tyler yelled over the wind and rain, a clap of thunder making his heart jump. "How much farther?!"

Darth didn't reply at first, pausing to catch his breath and look up. "Not much farther, my friend." He yelled back hoarsely.

* * *

><p>A young man sat at a desk with a silver desk lamp and a computer in the dark. The pale light from the lamp illuminated his features. His face was stubbled, and there were dark circles under his pale green eyes. He leaned back from the desk he had been hunched over and ran a hand through his sandy blonde hair, yawning. He grumbled something under his breath and went back to work reading through the papers strewn about the desk.<p>

His long legs bounced as he read.

He looked to be dress partially in a security guard uniform. His legs were covered in dark pants with a white stripe up the sides, he wore a plain white T-shirt, and a belt with weapon holsters on both hips. One held a Taser, the other a fancy looking gun. The rest of his uniform was draped over the back of the chair, a navy blue jacket with a badge and brass nameplate.

The young man drummed his fingers on the desk, he should be getting home. His normal work was done, and this project could wait. But the howling rains and winds kept him where he was. Going out now would be ill-advised. He had disabled the security on that floor, confident on the security on the floors below. He was set for spending the night there. All the offices were locked up anyways. Only the desks in the wide open space in the center of the floor were vulnerable, and they belonged to average desk-monkeys.

He looked up suddenly as he heard a muffled thud behind him to the right. The room grew colder as the wind blew through the level, carrying the scent of the rain to him.

"What the…" He whispered, standing up silently, his hand going to the detailed gun at his side. He heard whispered voices from the same direction and suddenly the wind stopped.

He drew his gun and held it out with one hand. Its design was complicated to say the least, colored wires wrapped from the butt of the gun up to the barrel encased under a layer of clear plastic. The barrel itself was narrow and ringed by red metal.

"Hey! Who's there?!" The young man called out. The whispering stopped all together and he struggled to see in the dark who was there.

Slowly a form came into view with red gloves, dark clothing, and a hood pulled low over their face.

"Well? Speak your business!" The young man commanded, his voice a little weak.

The intruder tilted his head to the side and held his hands up, palms out. "We're here for information." He said calmly.

The young man adjusted his grip on his weapon and scowled. "Information my ass." His gaze was drawn to the intruder's gloves, they had an odd pattern… almost like the lines on a person's palm. His eyes widened. "Get out. Now."

The intruder continued forward toward him slowly.

"Stop where you are! Or I _will_ fire!" The man called out. When he didn't stop the man pulled the trigger.

A beam of energy blasted out of the gun's barrel aimed at the intruder's shoulder. With quick reflexes the intruder stopped and adjusted his stance so the energy hit his hand. The light absorbed into the gloves… no, the _skin._

The young man fired again out of shock, this time the energy hit the intruder in the face, causing him to stumble back. The hood fell, revealing a man with bright red skin and demonic horns. Spades smiled, baring his teeth and ignoring the bruising now swelling along his cheekbone. He saw the young man's eyes widen to the size of silver dollars, and could not help but laugh at the sight. Surging forward he snatched the shocked guard's gun from his hand and turned it over.

"Amazing!" This is Copper Industries made, correct? Lasers! Who knew?"

The guard stumbled back, his eyes still riveted on Spades' face. Spades sighed, stashing the gun in his belt and swept the guard's feet from under him. The mutant was on top of him quickly, turning him over and bending his victim's arms back behind him.

"You're not very old kid, so don't make me do anything I'll regret." He hissed in the young man's ear.

"I'm not a kid, I'm a legal adult!" The pinned man growled, struggling against the mutant's grasp.

Spades pursed his lips in humor. The argument the kid made convinced him farther of his age. He was very young, eager to convince others of his capability. The mutant studied the kid's face for more signs of his age, now curious as to why he was still there so late, seemingly so confident, and with such a weapon in his possession when it appeared as though he was just doing desk work.

But he did not have time to fully contemplate the reasons. He turned his head up and shouted back to Nick. "Dusk! All clear! I got the kid pinned!"

Nick walked up beside him like a shadow and knelt next to the man on the ground. Shadows whipped out and bound the young man's hands. The guard reacted suddenly as the chilling shadow wrapped themselves around his wrists. He shivered violently at the feeling.

"Place him in his chair." Dusk instructed. He had kept his goggles on.

Tyler hauled the shivering man upright and put him in the chair. He bent down and read the name badge. _Dan._ "Well Dan, you just sit tight. We'll let you go when we're done."

Dan struggled as more shadows crept across him, binding across his chest and legs, strapping him to the chair. The shadows paused for a second as Tyler read his name and then finished.

Nick looked down at the young man. "Dan… as is Dan Cooper? …The son of the head of Cooper Industries?"

Dan didn't respond, glaring straight ahead, his jaw clenched. His tanned skin was pale and growing clammy, obviously an effect from the shadows.

Nick turned to Tyler. "Bring him with us into the office. He's not one we want to leave alone out here."

"Alright Dusk." Spades replied, standing behind the chair and hefting it and the man with some effort. "Point and pick out the lock and I'll follow behind." He grunted. He narrowed his eyes. "_Debemos hablar español. Este hombre…_" _(We should speak Spanish. This man…)_

"_Yo sé. Yo sé._" _(I know. I know.) _Nick grumbled back in careful, but halting style. Spanish was not one of his strong suits, but he discovered recently its importance with the growing number of mutants from throughout the United States who spoke more than one language, and the most present one was Spanish. He started walking toward an office he had chosen beforehand. He heard Tyler following clunkily behind.

Nick stopped in front of the office door. It was wooden in typical style, but the frame was steel and it had a double lock. Normally a key would be needed as well as a code for the electronic lock. Dusk rubbed his gloved hands together and flexed his fingers. He closed his eyes and small, thin shadows extended out from around the locks, pricking into the circuitry and the mechanisms of the physical lock. There was an audible click and a fizzing noise. Nick opened his eyes and pushed the door open, not one squeak being emitted.

"Come on."

The pair and their captive entered the room and Nick hastily closed the door. Spades set Dan down and made his way over to the computer and desk on the far side of the room. The far wall was full windows, lightning streaking across the sky. The room was lit up by pale light for a few long seconds and it made Spades' features more accented as he sat, his back to the windows, at the computer screen.

Dan turned his gaze quickly to the ground, his stomach flipping and his shivering increasing. "I should've taken my chances with the storm." He muttered under his breath. He felt the cold from the goggled man's gaze. He turned to face him. "What do you want with me?"

Nick frowned. "You just have a bad case of wrong place, wrong time, son." He rubbed his chin. "Though your connections with this company is worrying." He paused. "I would try to convince you that what we're doing here is for good, but I doubt you will believe us. No one thinks people like us are capable of good."

"I don't have a _problem_ with mutants!" Dan growled, leaning forward against his bonds. Nick walked around and knelt down so he was face-to-face with the younger man. Dan did his best to hold his dark stare. "I have a problem with break-ins and _thieves._"

Nick cracked a smile. "How refreshing. Perhaps I am justified in my hope for our two races."

"My best friend was a mutant." Dan shoot back, taking the man's tone as sarcasm. "She ran because she didn't know what was happening… you know, before the reveal."

Nick raised an eyebrow, suddenly curious. His soft spot for mutants in trouble becoming revealed. He pulled a chair from in front of the desk over to him and sat, listening to Dan's story.

"At least I guessed she was a mutant. What she could do wasn't natural… I just wish…." His voice faltered.

"What could she do?" Nick asked, his voice soothing.

Dan felt at ease and relaxed in his bindings. There was genuine concern in the man's voice, and despite the fact he hardly knew him, there was a sense of trust.

Once thing Dan had figured out was that most mutants looked out for one another.

"She could open these like, _portals_, the first time was by accident… a reflex of self-defense… but then she started trying to repeat what happened and we were trying to figure out what happened… but… her parents…" Dan's voice faltered and then he regained his stature. "She didn't live in the most stable of households. She couldn't take it anymore and left… hoping to figure her powers out along the way."

Dusk had resisted the urge to widen his eyes when he heard the _portal_ part. With all the mutants he looked after, their stories eventually began to blur together, but the powers he never forgot. Suspicion pricked at him as he listened to the clicking of keyboard keys. To double check his wonderings, he asked a question. "What was her name?"

Dan looked hard at him, an internal debate within him shining out in his pale green eyes. "You think you know her."

Nick chose not to lie. "Maybe."

"Her name was Portia Manderson. And if you know her… you better tell me what you know."

"When did she leave?"

"Nearly three years ago."

"Then I know her."

Dan smiled crookedly. "How many '_Portia's_ do you know?" Nick smiled as well, but said nothing. "What do you know?"

"Can I trust you? If I tell you anything you must realize that what we're doing here is affecting her safety."

Dan narrowed his eyes. "I swear I won't say anything about this break-in… in exchange for information on her. Provided of course that you have successfully avoided all security."

"Portia has joined a group of mutants at a place called the Haven. She is safe as of now, though she recently was injured in a brawl."

"I had hoped she found her way to the Xavier Institute as soon as I found out about it… I know Bayville's not that stable, but at least there would be people behind her back."

"Oh no, she knows the X-Men on a … personal… basis, though I don't think they're huge fans of her." Nick went on. "She attends school in Bayville. Perhaps I can get you in touch with her."

"N-Dusk!" Spades shouted, drawing his attention. "I'm through… kinda…" He stared at the screen with his icy blue eyes, willing it to tell him more of what they wanted. "The files are nearly squeaky clean. They obviously don't want what you suspect on record."

Dusk stood and walked over, leaning over the Dyson's shoulder. What Tyler said appeared to be true, the file seemed combed over as he scanned it.

"Damn, there's not a ton here we can use." Nick swore. "The research is so vague!"

"What are you looking for?" Dan asked from across the room. Tyler and Nick exchanged glances and a hurried conversation in Spanish.

"Do you want to help Portia?"

"More than anything. Please trust me."

"This isn't a matter about trust, son." Nick said, standing up straight. "But we don't have much choice, and you seem to be on our side."

"Am I? And what side would that be?"

"_Paz_." Spades said swiftly. _Peace_.

"Our more… _sensitive files_… are typically embedded within other files, links buried deep within a graphic or something." Dan said. "My father is grooming me to take over this company, I know a lot of its secrets."

Spades searched for several long, silent minutes, before he found what he was looking for. A tiny anomaly in a technical sketch caught his eye, a small 'X' where it didn't belong. He clicked the graphic and another file opened, this one much more detailed.

"Shipping details, research on genes… Dusk… someone is pulling strings here that shouldn't be pulled."

"Weapons that would do considerable damage to Advanced X Genes…" Dusk muttered, "… and leave those without unscathed."

"Mutant extermination. With minimal human causalities…" Spades continued as they read more.

"What are you two talking about?" Dan asked, his tone angry. "My father wouldn't-"

"It doesn't matter what he would or wouldn't, it's been done, with or without his knowledge!" Dusk growled, his eye twitching. He took a shuttering breath. "This is what I feared, Spades, search the document for any diamond graphics."

"Diamond?"

"A split diamond, it was left behind at the warehouse explosion."

"Yes, sir." Spades went back to the document and froze at the shipping information. He pointed a red finger at the screen. "Is this it?"

Nick swore and slammed his fist into the desk. "A new threat has emerged." He glared at the screen.

The diamond was there, very small, but unmistakable. Next to it was the word "_Purifiers"._

"What does this mean… what… what's going on?"

Dusk stood up straight, fists and teeth clenched. Lightning broke the sky behind them and thunder shook the building.

"This stays between us, Spades. Until I can fully analyze what this means. But if you see that diamond or the name 'Purifiers' anywhere, you must tell me."

"Dusk-"

"A few days… and then we warn the Haven."

"The kids have been through a lot, maybe not letting them know-"

"No, these people might pop up where they learn and work. They have to know." Nick's voice broke and he shut his eyes quickly. "I will not lose another kid." He looked down at Spades and met his eyes. "We have to protect our family."

* * *

><p><strong>Anyone recognize that kid? Dan? Huh? Huh?!<strong>

Yeah, you so do. He's in HCO, which I'm still polishing up for you guys, Portia's Dan. _Aww._

I hope this chapter answered a few questions while raising some new ones. Some of you guys will recognize the Purifiers, but I'm taking the comic idea in and watering it down, making it fit with the XME universe I have here. You'll see what I mean as I go along.

So like last time HMaster angrily (ok not really, just being dramatic) reminded me I totally promised you guys Sionnach and Cloak would be together. Now that I am super happy, I'll move it up in my plans. How's next chapter guys? I promise. I know that's a spoiler, but I spoiled the fact they were destined to be together like 20 chapters ago. I've kept you waiting long enough.

No matter how long next chapter is, I'll get to it in the way I want. Which could mean an obnoxiously long chapter (or perhaps a double update).

I'll try to stay motivated. I'm also working on an original fiction that I took Cloak, Plasma, and Tick (Tick's from Cloak's Origin, which I'm in the process of editing) into as main characters. I'll let you know how that's going, hopefully it can turn into an actual novel.

_No wouldn't that be great?_


	42. A note about story reboot

Hey guys. Stormplains here, after what, five months?

Yeah, sorry about that, but when I kept saying school was strangling me, it was. That was an intense semester.

But so school's out, and here's what's gonna happen:

I'm rebooting D-Factor. Yes, no ahh! Mixed feelings, I know, but trust me. It's better. And I'm trying to rewrite the chapters one a day so hopefully there will be a steady stream of updates. Already chapters 1 and 2 are done, going to start 3 today.

If you want to know why it's being rebooted here's why:

1. I don't enjoy the tone in some of my earlier chapters. My writing as progressed a lot since two years ago when this started.

2. There are actually two subplots I've forgotten about. One circling Lance and one with our least favorite human, former principal Kelly. The Kelly one has to be included if I ever want to get to D-Factor's sequel, I thought I could add it in later but it would not work as well.

3. I love you all and think you deserve the best quality possible.

So here we go. And hopefully I'll just spend a few low sleep nights and get us to where we can continue with this story.

Thanks to all of you who have read and supported me. It's been about a year and a half, and you all have helped me be a better writer. I'd love it if you guys could let me know how the reboot compares.

~Keep writing strong.

Stormplains.


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